After connecting to the network the largest land-based wind turbine in the world, the Chinese company Sany Renewable Energy discovered something unexpected: its blades are affecting the local microclimate.
Huge. With a capacity of 15 MW, the SI-270150 turbine is Sany’s new flagship product for the onshore sector. Its 131 meter long blades form a 270 meter diameter rotor, the largest in the world.
To put it in perspective, the Crystal Tower, the tallest building in Spain, measures 249 meters. And for those less familiar with the Madrid skyline, a classic comparison: three football fields could fit from one end of the rotor to the other.
At full power. Capable of generating up to 56 million kWh of electricity per year, the first SI-270150 turbine achieved operation at nominal power last November 16a month after it was connected to the network.
Since there is no other land-based wind turbine with this capacity in operation, Sany set a new world record with the turbine at full capacity. What I didn’t expect was that it would end up affecting the local microclimate.
Unexpected effect. Installed at a test wind farm in Tongyu, southeast China’s Jilin province, the massive wind turbine would have caused an unexpected effect in the area: Alterations in the nearby microclimate and local wind patterns.
The hypothesis is that these rotors produce variations in wind speed and, consequently, in the distribution of temperatures in nearby areas. How does this affect the sustainability of this type of wind turbines? It’s unclear, but Chinese scientists plan to closely monitor these changes to learn what long-term impact they may have.
A year of testing. Between 25 and 30 years is the useful life promised by the largest land-based wind turbine in the world. However, it is not for sale yet. Sany will subject the SI-270150 to more than a year of testing in the park where it assembles its prototypes.
This process includes nearly 2,000 performance tests to verify the design and reliability of its components in real conditions. The extent of the effects on the microclimate will be one of the variables to take into account.
China vs. Europe. With increasingly larger and more efficient models, China continues to consolidate itself as wind industry leader against its European rivals. The country already has 65% of global wind capacity and four of the five main wind turbine manufacturers.
While Sany was installing the largest onshore wind turbine in the world, Mingyang was doing the same on the coast with the largest offshore wind turbine20 MW.
Despite their prodigious efficiency, it is unlikely that we will see such large wind turbines in Europe due to the logistical challenge of transporting them and the obstacles to obtaining environmental and administrative permits, especially in the case of land.
Image | sany
In techopiniones | Something is happening with wind energy. Its deployment has slowed while solar energy grows unstoppable