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Engineers in China have developed a model floating wind generator, asserting that it has exceeded previous energy generation maximums — possibly initiating a novel period of eco-friendly energy development.
The generator is the creation of investigation carried out by China Huaneng Group, a Chinese energy titan, along with Dongfang Electric Corporation, an electricity manufacturer. Both are state-run.
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To create the electricity, the nacelle — the key component within a wind generator housing the real generator — is situated atop a tower measuring 489 feet (152 meters), complemented by blades that stretch to a diameter of 860 feet (262 m).
Each “sweep,” or complete 360-degree revolution, of the blades incorporates a space of 53,000 square meters, almost the magnitude of eight soccer fields.
Elevating the electrical output of each turbine significantly bolsters the promotion of wind energy, which cuts down on the comprehensive quantity of generators to install across each wind power facility. This lowers expenses while diminishing the period prior to the start of energy generation from turbines.
Of course, the deeper into marine settings generators are positioned, the greater the likelihood for the requirement of resilience against more severe wind conditions. China Huaneng Group communicated the prototype generator’s ability to persevere against wave sizes exceeding 78 feet (24 m), in addition to winds equaling typhoon intensity, which go above 64 knots (73 miles per hour).
The manufacturers intend to put the generator to the test on the coast near Yangjiang, China, within the oncoming months.
Floating wind expands the playing field
While establishing offshore wind power facilities is more expensive, and delivers more costly energy for each quantity than onshore versions, positioning wind generators at sea introduces generators to greater continuous and heightened wind magnitudes. That’s more beneficial regarding extensive power assembly joined with reduced interruptions.
Most offshore wind generators are considered “fixed bottom” types, which defines their mooring to the floor of the sea. That’s a cost-viable means to assemble wind facilities in reduced-depth ocean regions, such as the North Sea, which averages depths measuring just 295 feet ( 90 m).
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Existing fixed offshore wind generators like GE Vernova Haliade-X generators utilized inside the UK’s Dogger Bank Wind Facility clock in at 13 MW, while Dongfang Electric publicly put a 26 MW fixed bottom generator through tests in June 2025. Generators topping rankings inside U.S. waters are 12 MW Siemens Gamesa 11.0-200 DD, which build a section of the South Fork Wind Facility and individually generate 11 MW.
Even so, most of the world’s seas are not a good fit for bottom-anchored generators, exhibiting a global average depth registered at 3,682 m (12,080 feet) according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The absolute deepest offshore wind generator foundations were installed forming part of SSE’s Seagreen Wind Facility, inside waters measuring 58.6 m off the coast of Scotland.
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However, that qualifies as uniquely deep regarding offshore wind implementation, wherein the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) marks every body of water deeper than 50 m as unfit in relation to fixed bottom generators.
In the meantime, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) estimates that 80% of global offshore wind energy output potential is set within depths of 195 feet (60 m) or more, making that amount excessively deep to implement fixed bottom generators.
Considering that the practice of floating wind generators grows, energy operations and nations might expand by great degrees the amount of energy sourced from wind by setting up generators positioned in deeper water.
For example, countries like Japan, which weren’t in a position to adopt most of the area’s deep territorial waters relating to wind power usage, could adopt floating generators as a source covering sustainable power. Japan has aimed for a challenging benchmark in regard to producing around 30-45 GW of wind energy by 2040, expecting floating wind generators to serve as a prominent piece to reaching it.
Rory Bathgate
Rory Bathgate functions as a freelance writer with Live Science together with Editor handling Features and Multimedia with ITPro, where he oversees all in-depth content coupled with case studies. Beyond the scope of his roles with ITPro, Rory continues with a strong interest when it comes to studying the tech world and how the interactions involved reflect our shared objective in confronting global climate concerns. The study incorporates concentrated interests focused on the energy transition, focusing mainly on green energy production coupled with energy grid retention coupled with electric cars together with the brisk expansion concerning the electrification sector. When it comes to his personal downtime, Rory prefers photography, clip-based editing, and also sci-fi material. Commencing as a graduate, he started with ITPro inside 2022, coming after receiving an MA (Hons) regarding Studies taken from the Eighteenth-Century coming from King’s College London. Rory can easily be reached under [email protected].
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