Siemens Creates World’s Largest Rotor Blade for Wind Turbines
ERLANGEN, Germany — The largest wind turbine rotor blade in the world will soon be installed off the British coast, thanks to the collaboration between Siemens and DONG Energy.
The new 6-megawatt, B75 Quantum blade designed by Siemens is 75 meters long — and one blade is nearly as large as the wingspan of an Airbus A380. The wind turbines will be installed in wind power plants off the British coast between 2014 and 2017.
“The agreement will enable DONG Energy to install a significantly larger and more efficient wind turbine from 2014 compared to what we know today,” said Carsten Krogsgaard Thomsen, acting CEO of DONG Energy, in a statement. “The agreement is a key element of DONG Energy’s objective to significantly expand offshore wind and strengthen our position as market leader within offshore wind. For DONG Energy, this is an important step towards further industrialization and will contribute to the enhanced competitiveness of offshore wind.”
The new, larger wind turbine is expected to supply about 6,000 European households with electricity. The rotor has a diameter of 154 meters and has a swept area of more than 18,600 square meters, which is equivalent to the area of approximately two and a half regulation-sized soccer fields, according to Siemens.
The blades are manufactured using fiberglass, which makes them 10 to 20 percent lighter than if they had been made using traditional technology. At full wind speed the tops of the blades will reach 180 mph, according to Siemens.
“If the B75 Quantum blade were produced using traditional technology, it would be 25 to 50 percent heavier,” according to a statement by Siemens. “Heavy blades are subject to higher loads and require stronger nacelles, towers and foundations. The combination of intelligent design and low weight has a correspondingly positive effect on the power generation costs for wind energy.”
The UK is booming with growth in wind power technology and installations, including 300, 6-megawatt wind turbines that have been sold to DONG Energy for use on its offshore wind farms. The massive blades were transported via cargo truck from Aalborg to the Danish town of Nakskov on Lolland Island — traveling over 350 miles to be installed. At the end of 2012 the company will begin testing two of the new blades at Gunfleet Sands Off Shore Wind Farm, near Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.
The installation has high hopes in terms of boosting the offshore wind energy market. The target for 2020 in the UK is 18-gigawatts of offshore energy, which equates to around 18 percent of the UK’s electricity demand.
Both DONG Energy and Siemens have had tremendous success in the past, so meeting or exceeding the target looks to be extremely likely. In fiscal 2011, Siemens earned the right to be named one of the world’s largest suppliers of eco-friendly technologies, as its portfolio totaled nearly $37 billion. In the same fiscal year, Siemens’ products and solutions reduced carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 320 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual carbon dioxide emissions of Berlin, Delhi, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo combined, according to Siemens.