Shanghai Electric has brought online what it said is China’s first 8MW offshore wind turbine.
The Chinese manufacturer said the 8MW-167 machine produces 20% more electricity than the 7MW-154 model and reduces the levelised cost of energy by about 11%.
It added that the 8MW turbine is the result of an agreement signed in March 2018 with Siemens Gamesa that gives Shanghai Electric permission to produce and sell the former’s 8.0-167DD machines for offshore installation in the Chinese market.
The 8MW unit has includes ‘autonomous start’ technology and has 81.4-metre blades and a rotor diameter of 167 metres, which creates a swept area of 21,900 square metres.
Tests were carried out onshore at the Shantou Haojiang Offshore Industrial Park.
Shanghai Electric said it is also exploring solutions for integrated energy systems based on renewables that combine wind and solar energy generation and storage systems, based on the Industrial Internet of Things and 5G+.
“Now Shanghai Electric is in a prime position to capitalize on the growing Chinese market for offshore installation turbines, where up to 26GW could be linked to the grid by the end of 2025,” the company said.
It added that the demo project at Shantou Haojiang Offshore Industrial Park also includes a 4MW offshore turbine, 2.42MW rooftop photovoltaic cells and a 2 megawatt-hour energy storage system that includes an intelligent environment control system.
The solution was modified to adapt to the conditions of the Asia-Pacific region, such as typhoons and tropical storms that could seriously damage the electricity grid infrastructure, and even cause blackouts in the area, the company said.
“Hence the importance of restoring the micro network from autonomous start technology from the point of view of micro network operators,” it added.
A video of the installation can be found here.