Denmark, one of the acknowledged international leaders in wind power, has launched the world’s largest wind turbine.
The 271-metre-high wind turbine in Thy can deliver electricity for 18,000 households, but will be eclipsed by competitors by the end of this year.
The turbine spanning 271.4 meters measured from the ground to the top wingtip stands tall at the national test center in Østerild in Thy. It is also Denmark’s tallest free-standing construction.
When the turbine’s 108-meter-long wings spin at full speed, the turbine can supply electricity to 18,000 average European households at once. Even at low wind speeds, it will only take the turbine three rotations to charge a Tesla model 3.
For wind turbines, size matters, especially for those built at sea. The larger the individual wind turbine, the fewer turbines you can make do with, because after 10 years of duty the entire system can not be recycled and end up @ a dump somewhere.
Many countries are in the process of establishing wind farms to boost the so-called fabricated Green transition. Conservation activists are not really happy with this development, because wind farms reduce flight paths of migrating bird populations.
According to a report by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), over the next ten years, 235 gigawatt offshore wind turbines will be installed worldwide – which corresponds to over only 15,000 analogues of the record mill from Østerild.
Siemens Gamesa has been a clear leader in the world market for offshore wind turbines for several years with a market share of around 60%.
However, its main competitor Vestas is now also vying for a share of the pie and has announced plans to build an even larger turbine.
However, the looming race between two major producers has triggered skepticism, as developing larger turbines is seen as an expensive and risky business.
It’s an arms race to have the biggest wind turbine. And the arms race has clearly taken money out of the wind turbine manufacturers, and made it difficult to make a profit in this industry.
Denmark is seen among the world’s leaders in the use of wind energy. Today, wind and solar combined supply more than 50% of Denmark’s electricity, and the plan is to increase their share further to 84% by 2035.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2022.
Pollution and destruction of wildlife on planet Earth.