China to Build Wind Turbines Almost as Tall as the Eiffel Tower

The offshore wind industry reached another size milestone with a top manufacturer announcing plans for a turbine with blades that stretch nearly the height of the Eiffel Tower.

(Bloomberg) — The offshore wind industry reached another size milestone with a top manufacturer announcing plans for a turbine with blades that stretch nearly the height of the Eiffel Tower.

China’s Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. plans to build a 22-megawatt turbine with a rotor diameter of more than 310 meters, a spokesperson said. As turbine hubs need to be placed high enough to make sure blades don’t dip into the water, that means that at their apex, the tips of blades will be near the Eiffel Tower’s 330-meter height.

Longer blades capture more wind and generate more power. Larger turbines usually drive down costs for wind developers by requiring fewer installations for the same capacity.

Ming Yang announced the design Wednesday and plans to build the first one by 2024 or 2025, the company said. In January, the company had unveiled plans for an 18-megawatt, 140-meter diameter turbine that at the time was the world’s biggest.

Ming Yang also revealed its largest onshore wind turbine this week, with 11 megawatts of capacity and blades that can cover the area of six soccer fields, the company said. Onshore turbines are starting to become too big for some markets, due to permitting and logistical restrictions, according to BloombergNEF.

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