There's no doubting that clean wind energy is part of the solution to tackling climate change, and these behemoths take matters to a whole new level.
America’s known for its predilection for all things big, so it's not that surprising that the country's first ‘commercial scale’ offshore wind farm will be home to the world's biggest and most powerful wind turbines.
The wind farm will be located 15 miles off the southern coast of Martha’s Vineyard, an island off Massachusetts. To take advantage of strong winds in the area, the 800 MW renewable energy project will use GE’s enormous Haliade-X turbines, which are as tall as an 85 story building (853 ft / 260m) and can power a home for two days with one spin.
By making them so huge, these 351 foot (107m) long blades capture 45 percent more energy than any other turbines. Their size also makes them more effective at lower wind speeds, making its overall output more predictable. And by making use of fewer yet larger wind turbines, the project can cut down on installation costs.
The Vineyard Wind 1 wind farm, as it’s being called, will power about 400,000 houses in the New England area and is set to become active in 2023. Vineyard Wind 1 might be the largest offshore wind project in America, but its 800 MW capacity doesn't come close to the world's largest offshore wind project - the 3.6 gigawatt Dogger Bank project in the UK, which will use the same GE turbines, and is also expected to start producing power in 2023.