General Electric’s department of renewable energy is working on a new wind turbine that will contribute to reducing the cost of electricity. Comparison chart of the Haliade-X to other important buildings. (Image via GE)
The US firm General Electric (GE) has a department of Renewable energy that puts the company among the leading providers of wind turbines. With more than 35,000 wind turbines around the globe, GE’s renewable energy department does not just build the turbines; it also offers maintenance and fleet upgrading services to its clients. In March 2018, GE proved its expertise again by unveiling a new wind turbine that is considered a revolution in wind energy.
With its 260 meters of height, Haliade-X is GE’s attempt to push the current boundaries for a wind turbine. The blades of Haliade-X have the same length as a football field, and the rotor has a diameter of 220 meters which allows the turbine to collect more wind than other turbines before Haliade-X. More wind means more energy generated. In terms of numbers, Haliade-X generates 45% more electricity than any other offshore turbine, which translates into enough electricity to power 16,000 households. GE is also ahead of its competitors because Haliade-X’ large rotor also contributes to helping clients save money. Every client using Haliade-X is saving at least seven million of dollars for every 100 megawatts used.
Another benefit GE’s clients get for using Haliade-X is that due to its design, its installation requires fewer cables than other turbines. Consequently, it will be cheaper to build turbine farms with Haliade-X. All thanks to the research teams from both GE Global and GE Renewable Energy. But before the turbine is available on the market in 2019, the teams will need to continue working together to ensure the quality of the turbine. Also, the turbine has not been tested yet in real conditions. To solve that problem, GE partnered up with Catapult, a British organization funded by the government and specialized in renewable energy.
Fun facts about the Haliade-X. (Image via GE)
The partnership will last 5 years and is very important for both the American company and the British government. All the test will be conducted in Blyth, Northumberland at one of the Catapult facilities. The President and CEO of GE’s branch that focuses on Wind Energy explained that he is excited about the partnership because it offers an opportunity for the company to advance in its testing of the turbine and to complete it in a designed environment. The partnership is a win-win situation also benefiting the British government in the sense that it offers them a chance to get ahead of other countries when it comes to offshore wind energy. According to a report in the industry, England could reach that goal by 2030.
The partnership is supported by both Britain’s Innovate UK and the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), which funded together with a donation of 6 million of pounds. England appears very focused on its goal of welcoming the world’s biggest wind turbines. The biggest functioning turbine to date is the MHI Vesta with its 9 Megawatts, far less than Haliade-X. This is a great development, but is there an unseen cost? Read about the impact of other turbines on the environment after this link.
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