A 720-foot-tall wind turbine featuring 35 ton blades has just set a new world record, producing a whopping 216,000 kWh of energy over a span of 24 hours. That’s enough to power an average American household for twenty years.
The giant turbine, located off the coast of Østerild, Denmark, is setting a new standard for wind power. MHI Vestas Offshore Wind—a joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries—revealed the 9 megawatt (MW) prototype in late 2016. The machine, named V164-8.0 MW, is a revved up version of the company’s 8 MW model, allowing it to produce even more juice under favorable wind conditions.
On December 1st, the machine produced 215,999.1 kWh over a 24 hour period, a new record for a commercially-available offshore wind turbine. Given the success of this test, the company is hoping to increase the energy production of its customer’s fleets, but with fewer turbines and at a lower cost. The new machine is part a broader push to get more bang for the buck out of offshore turbines in general.
Like other state-of-the-art models, the V164-8.0 MW is an impressive sight to behold. Each of its three blades measures 262 feet (80 meters) in length, which is equivalent to nine city buses. The blades weigh in at 35 tons a piece, and sweep a total area measuring 227,380 square feet (21,125 square meters)—roughly the same size as the London Eye ferris wheel. The hub is 460 feet (140 meters) high, and when a blade is fully extended overhead the structure stands 721 feet (220 meters) tall.
