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The world’s largest wind farm is up and running in the UK

Catwell

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This wind farm has turbines that are 640 feet tall with 262 foot long blades built by Dong Energy. These turbines are bigger than some skyscrapers (Image via MHI Vestas)

 

The world’s largest wind farm is now up and running in the UK. The 32 huge turbines built by Danish company Dong Energy are housed in Liverpool Bay. The turbines boast a greater height than some skyscrapers standing at 640 feet tall and equipped with 262-foot long blades, which can produce eight megawatts of power. This is actually the first time 8MW turbines have been used for commercial purposes. Their power is supposed to be so great the company claims a single revolution of the blade can power one house for 29 hours.

 

The 32 new turbines are an extension of the Burbo Bank wind farm that was built over a decade ago. This latest addition makes Britain a world leader in wind farm technology. Because of subsidies, friendly regulation, and their maritime past, the UK have installed more offshore wind power than any other country in the world. This latest addition along with their existing structures give them the capacity of 5.3 GW, that’s enough electricity to power 4.3 million homes. And it doesn’t stop here; there are eight more projects in the works.

 

But to keep receiving support for the tech from the government, the industry has to keep cutting costs. This in part is why Dong Energy opted to build such large turbines. You would think the cost to maintain these things would be high considering how big they are. Believe it or not, these large turbines are cheaper to build and maintain since each tower and blade needs a foundation. In the end, it’s cheaper than maintaining lots of small turbines. The company hopes this leads to offshore wind power that’s bigger, better, and cheaper than before.

 

These wind turbines greatly benefit the UK, but they’ve still come under fire for not having enough parts made in Britain. Dong Energy doesn’t exactly help matters; they don’t reveal what how much of the Burbo Bank extension is UK built. Fortunately, half of the blades are made at MHI Vesta’s Isle of Wight factory. On the other hand, these farms create new jobs and offer residents a long term career.

 

Still, you can’t argue with results, and the UK seems pretty pleased overall. There are more wind turbine projects scheduled for the future; these will also use 8MW turbines. It seems the UK is set on keeping its reputation as a world leader in windfarm technology. They’re certainly ahead of the US, which recently installed its first offshore wind farm.

 

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  • That is pretty awesome!

    As some one in the UK who grew up with them at the end of a field near me, I, personally, love them.

    They may be why I am into big engineering.

     

    I understand MKs concerns, here is an interesting article about the cost of subsidies shortly being less than nuclear

    UK offshore wind power subsidies set to drop below nuclear - Siemens| Reuters

     

    And a very good Video by Tom Scott about the problem of energy storage in renewable energy.. and how we are combating it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uz6xOFWi4A

  • in reply to e14phil

    Subsidies always distort things and now we have huge industries dependent on them  - it's not  a surprise that they defend them.

     

    I'd like to see a complete end to subsidies in energy supply - then we would see what things really cost.

     

    The "solution" proposed in the video (using large number of small vehicle batteries) is not viable - and for so many reasons.

    First is that if we convert all our road vehicles to electric power we don't have anything like enough generating capacity to charge them.

    Second is that without a huge jump in battery technology vehicles won't have enough reserve capacity to be used in the way suggested.

    There are many more but not worth going into here.

     

    The only rational clean renewable energy (that we actually know how to do right now) is nuclear, but in the UK we seem to have given up doing that ourselves and seem happy to be guinea pigs for foreign companies/countries.

     

    Probably much better to burn gas now and spend the silly subsidy money on research to come up with something better.

     

    MK

  • in reply to michaelkellett

    The only rational clean renewable energy (that we actually know how to do right now) is nuclear, but in the UK we seem to have given up doing that ourselves and seem happy to be guinea pigs for foreign companies/countries.

    I'm not surprised the UK has given up, probably because when Nuclear goes wrong, it does so in a very bad way. There are unfortunately more examples of land being inhabitable and affecting the planet and nature in general thanks to nuclear, than say, a windmill blowing up (and windmills do, in the most spectacular manner). We are still babysitting Chernobyl, and now Fukushima. So much so that the radiation is melting the robots they send in.

  • in reply to cstanton

    probably because when Nuclear goes wrong, it does so in a very bad way

    You're right.

     

    Chernobyl was an interesting one and (if believe everything) avoidable by having some good practices in place ... ie abort the test if x rods are removed and you can't get it working.

    It's been used as the poster child for not dong xyz ay night, but the reality was it would have gone bang no matter what time they did it using those instructions.

     

    Fukushima was poor design. Japan had various sea walls to protect themselves from large waves, and they didn't think to put the emergency generators higher up behind the station??

     

    There is also the issue of the spent fuel rods to deal with.

     

    The windmills were an interesting sight while travelling around England.

    I saw some nice countryside and then bang someone had smacked a ruddy great bladed thing in the frame.

    At least having them offshore is a little less of an eyesore ... maybe.

     

    For what it's worth ... one of ours on the hills above Wellington was showing negative energy one day ... it looked like they were applying some power to make it turn because the wind couldn't.

    Mark

  • in reply to mcb1

    The windmills were an interesting sight while travelling around England.

    I saw some nice countryside and then bang someone had smacked a ruddy great bladed thing in the frame.

    At least having them offshore is a little less of an eyesore ... maybe.

     

    I've always played with windmills as a child, so I'm likely biased. When I returned to my home town, off the coast is now an off shore wind farm, I really didn't mind, it broke up the somewhat dull horizon of flat sea and freight/tanker ships.

  • in reply to michaelkellett

    Hi Michael,

     

    I agree 100%.  Only nuclear fission can supply power at the needed demand levels.

    The problem is that using fission to heat steam wastes 90% of the energy and the current designs waste 98% of the fuel.

     

    If nuclear engineers were allowed to really use nuclear energy, we could have all the power we need very safely.

     

    I point this fact out in my new book as I clearly identify what a radioactive atom really contains and how we can use its photon exchange to power the world.

     

    Radioactive material is the gift of the universe.  We should not waste it.

     

    To date, all of the nuclear accidents are the result of fitting a nuclear reactor to a steam power plant.  All steam driven engines are accidents waiting to happen.

     

    Hopefully I can lead a new generation into the future with better physics models of the atom and how the universe works.

     

    Until then, you have to continue to burn down forests to heat your morning tea.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to DAB

    The problem is that using fission to heat steam wastes 90% of the energy

     

    I've always thought that there has to be a better way than that. It's like they simply replaced the coal with nuclear fission. Just imagine if an electric car consisted of an electric heating element under a boiler that ran a steam engine image

     

    I haven't researched it, but I'm curious what methods exist for a more direct conversion of the fission energy?

     

    -Nico

Comment
  • in reply to DAB

    The problem is that using fission to heat steam wastes 90% of the energy

     

    I've always thought that there has to be a better way than that. It's like they simply replaced the coal with nuclear fission. Just imagine if an electric car consisted of an electric heating element under a boiler that ran a steam engine image

     

    I haven't researched it, but I'm curious what methods exist for a more direct conversion of the fission energy?

     

    -Nico

Children
  • in reply to ntewinkel

    Hi Nico,

     

    I am looking at this issue as I resolve my new atomic model.

     

    There are easy ways to use the emitted photons, it is just a matter of creating the technology to do this easily.

    I am already considering several ideas, which I hope to develop further.

     

    I am rapidly getting to the point where I am going to need to engage a University that has the tools and personnel that I can lead to develop these ideas.

     

    If things go well, I may be able to begin serious research in the next year.

     

    DAB