A nacelle from GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X 12MW offshore wind turbine has arrived at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s testing facility in north-east England for testing.
According to GE the nacelle, comparable in size to six double-decker London buses, will undergo full indoor testing as part of an “advanced technology programme” to replicate real-world operational conditions, at the centre in Blyth, Northumberland.
It is the second Haliade-X nacelle to be assembled, with the first recently installed in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which last week produced its first power.
GE offshore wind chief executive John Lavelle said: “GE’s Haliade-X technology will have an important role to play in helping the UK to achieve its offshore wind sector deal goals of 30GW by 2030, and UK Government’s ambition to work for greenhouse emission reduction to ‘net-zero’ by 2050.
“Our Haliade-X global testing programme will allow us to put different components under controlled and extreme conditions in a faster way, to adapt our technology in a shortened time while introducing new features to meet customers’ demands, and reduce the validation time before starting serial production in 2021.”
ORE Catapult chief executive Andrew Jamieson said: “Once again, the North East is playing a significant role in the UK offshore wind success story by welcoming another key component of the world’s largest offshore wind turbine to date, following the arrival of the turbine’s 107m blade for testing earlier this year.
“Our objective is to subject the turbine nacelle to an extremely rigorous testing programme designed to make sure it can withstand years of operation at sea.
“Testing these world-leading technologies in the UK cements our position as a global leader in offshore wind and presents unparalleled opportunities for the UK supply chain to develop new products and services, creating jobs and generating economic benefit.”
GE Renewable Energy is investing close to £15m in testing and research and development activities on the Haliade-X in the UK.
In addition to the nacelle and blade testing programme, GE and ORE Catapult are also developing the “Stay Ashore!” programme, which aims to reduce the time people spend at sea, increasing safety and contributing to energy cost reduction by focusing on developing technology in robotics, digital and remote operations.