The world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine just got more powerful

GE Renewable Energy’s prototype Haliade-X offshore wind turbine

GE Renewable Energy’s prototype Haliade-X offshore wind turbine, the most powerful in the world, has reached a production output of 14 megawatts, the company announced Tuesday.

Initially certified for 12 MW, the Haliade-X reached an output of 13 MW last year. The updated Heliade-X 14 MW can produce up to 74 GHh of gross annual energy production.

“When we first commissioned our Haliade-X prototype in November 2019 at 12 MW, we made a big leap forward in the industry,” GE Renewable Energy’s chief technology officer for offshore wind, Vincent Schellings, said. “Over the past two years, we have learned a lot about operating and optimizing the performance of our Haliade-X platform, enabling us to uprate the Haliade-X platform to 14 MW today.”

The first Haliade-X 14 MW will be incorporated into the Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm located off the northeast coast of England. GE Renewable Energy will provide 87 of the Heliade-X 14 MW to Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm.

Dogger Bank A, B, and C, together, is expected to become the largest offshore wind farm in the world upon completion in 2026 with the ability to collectively produce 18 TWh of energy annually.

The UK government, a world leader in offshore wind power generation, aims to quadruple its offshore wind generating capacity to 40 GW by 2030.

President Joe Biden set a goal for the U.S. to reach 30 GW offshore wind generating capacity over the same time period. Analysts, however, say U.S. installed capacity is likely to fall 30% below Biden’s goals due to inadequate manufacturing facilities, a lack of service vessels, and poor power transmission infrastructure.

IHS Markit analysts say, however, that U.S. permitting speeds and project costs will improve in the coming years. The Dept. of Energy’s planned $3 billion in public financing for offshore projects and an extension to the 30% investment tax credit should also encourage growth for the industry.

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