After connecting to the network the largest land-based wind turbine in the world, the Chinese company Sany Renewable Energy has discovered something unexpected: its blades affect the local microclimate.
Huge With a capacity of 15 MW, the SI-270150 Turbine is Sany’s new star product for the coastal region. Its 131 meter long blades form a 270 meter diameter rotor, the largest in the world.
As a perspective, the Crystal Tower, the tallest building in Spain, measures 249 meters. And for those less familiar with the Madrid Skyline, a classic comparison; it becomes possible to have three football fields from the top of the rotor to the other.
In full control. Capable of generating up to 56 million kWh of electricity per year, the first SI-270150 Turbine produced to operate at rated power last November 16after a month the network is connected.
While no other land-based wind turbine operates with this capacity, Sany has set a new world standard with a full-capacity turbine. What I didn’t expect was that it would be a boundary affecting the local microclimate.
An unexpected effect. It was installed at the shell wind village in Tongyu, south China’s Jilin province, and it would have a huge wind turbine. an unexpected effect of the region: Changes in near microclimate and local wind patterns.
The hypothesis is that these rotors produce variations in the speed of the winds and consequently in the distribution of temperatures in neighboring areas. How does this affect the sustainability of this type of wind turbine? It is uncertain, but Chinese scientists plan to closely monitor these changes to learn what long-term impact they may have.
A year of trial. Between 25 and 30 years the most useful life is promised by the largest earth-based turbines in the world. But not for sale. Sany will subject the SI-270150 to more than a year of testing at the park where it will assemble its prototypes.
This process includes almost 2,000 performance tests to verify the design and reliability of its components in real conditions. The magnitude of the effects on the microclimate will be one of the variables.
Cinna vs. Europe With bigger and more effective models, China continues to strengthen itself wind energy leader against European rivals. The country already has 65% of global wind capacity and four of the five main wind turbine manufacturers.
While Sany is installing the largest onshore wind turbines in the world, Mingyang has been doing the same onshore. the largest wind turbine itself20 MW
Despite their prodigious efficiency, it is unlikely that we will see such turbines in Europe because of the logistical challenge of transporting them and the obstacles of obtaining permits especially environmental and administrative ones on the ground.
Image | sany
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