China-based MingYang Smart Energy Group has launched a new 11 MW hybrid-drive offshore wind turbine, MySE11-203 which is said to be the world’s biggest hybrid-drive wind turbine.
The MySE11-203 design is based on the IEC wind class IB. The turbine’s rotor diameter is 203 metres, to enable a 31 per cent higher annual energy production than its predecessor, said MingYang in a press release. The turbine’s 99 metre-long carbon-glass hybrid blades provide a swept area of 32,365 square metres, equivalent to the same surface area as five standard football fields. MingYang will install a prototype in 2021 and will make the turbine commercially available in 2022.
“The short and strong structure can reduce loads to the drivetrain of turbines, so that it is composed of less fragile components; the medium-speed gearbox is similar in structure to the aero-engine gearboxes with a high reliability gene; the compact design ensures the isolation inside the nacelle against corrosion caused by salty sea air; Moreover, the lubrication system with high-precision 5µm filtration guarantees the high reliability and longer life of bearings and gear transmissions,” MingYang stated.
At the end of the first quarter of 2020, MingYang’s orders had reached 15.23 GW, of which hybrid drive turbines accounted for about 92 per cent. MingYang recently established a regional business and engineering centre in Hamburg, Germany, to help facilitate its launch of its turbine range in Europe.
REGlobal’s Views: Continued growth in rated power of turbines is one of the key factors that has led to lower offshore wind costs. MingYang’s investment in commercialising the aforementioned 11 GW hybrid-drive turbine will help make offshore wind a more cost-effective and competitive source of clean energy.
