Renewable energy
Ming Yang – Chinese company unveils wind turbine the size of the Eiffel Tower
Construction of a turbine with 16 MW capacity by Ming Yang.
© Ming Yang Smart Energy / PR
Ming Yang Smart Energy rushes from one superlative to another. In July, a system with a rotor diameter of 260 meters was put into operation, and plans for a wind turbine of 310 meters have now been presented.
High, higher, highest – in the race for the largest wind turbines, the Chinese company Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. announced the construction of a 22 megawatt turbine. Its rotor diameter is said to be more than 310 meters. Since the wings cannot be submerged in the water, the entire structure will reach the height of the Eiffel Tower.
Longer blades capture more wind, the wind strength increases with height. The construction of such gigantic structures is difficult on land because of the necessary permits and also because of the transport of the components, but on the sea, the offshore area, there are no limits to growth. The first models of the Ming Yang wants to complete the Eiffel Tower-sized building by 2024 to 2025.
Larger systems on a quarterly basis
Min Yang is currently outdoing herself with superlatives. It was only in January that the company presented plans for an 18-megawatt turbine with a diameter of 280 meters. At the same time, the company presented its largest onshore system to date, with an output of 11 megawatts. An offshore turbine with a rotor diameter of 230 meters and a nominal output of 11 megawatts has been in production since 2021. And the MySE 16-260 has been in regular operation since July 2023. This offshore system has an output of 16 megawatts.
The future will float
There is a run on offshore wind farms worldwide. The problem is that the most productive and reliable locations are over deep water, where the foundations can no longer be anchored in the ground. In addition to growing in height, the turbines will have to float. Min Yang has already installed floating turbines, although of smaller size and capacity. Floating platforms will be the future. So far, the well-known large rotors have dominated. Alternative designs with a large number of small rotors have not yet made it past the design stage.
Despite the parallel expansion of coal energy, China has ambitious goals for climate-neutral energy. In addition to investments in nuclear power plants, solar and wind energy are being massively expanded. According to the Global Energy Monitor, China will produce over 1,200 gigawatts of energy from wind and solar power in 2025, five years ahead of schedule. China not only has the industrial capacity, it also benefits from suitable locations. The fourth largest country in the world is very unevenly populated. There are vast stretches of land that are barely inhabited. Solar farms sometimes cover entire mountain ranges, something that would be unimaginable in Germany.