GE Renewable Energy has set a new yardstick in the offshore wind energy market.

New heights will be reached and more wind harvested by the latest GE product introduction. Haliade-X is the GE's prime contender for the title of the largest wind turbine ever made. The new Haliade-X is built upon the successful track record of Haliade wind turbine which now, with its 6MW, seems like a Lilliput next to the 12MW Gulliver giant.

The Official GE Renewable Energy statement:

AN INDUSTRY FIRST

Introducing the Haliade-X 12 MW, the largest offshore wind turbine in the world to date, featuring a 12 MW capacity (the world’s first), 220-meter rotor, a 107-meter blade designed by LM Wind Power, and digital capabilities. In addition to being the biggest offshore wind turbine, the Haliade-X will also be the most efficient of wind turbines in the ocean. Best of all, it’s capable of transforming more wind into power than any other offshore wind turbine today.

The Haliade-X 12 MW also features a 63% capacity factor—five to seven points above industry standard. Each incremental point in capacity factor represents around $7 million in revenue for our customers over the life of a windfarm.

Read below for more details on how the largest ocean wind turbine can drive efficiency and decrease costs, or contact GE today for more information.

POWER MEETS EFFICIENCY

The offshore wind turbine design of the Haliade-X is what makes it unique. The combination of a bigger rotor, longer blades and higher capacity factor makes Haliade-X less sensitive to wind speed variations, increasing predictability and the ability to generate more power at low wind speeds. The Haliade-X can capture more Annual Energy Production (AEP) than any other offshore wind turbine even at low wind conditions.

This 12 MW ocean wind turbine can also generate 67 GWh annually, which is 45% more AEP than the most powerful machines on the market today, and twice as much as the Haliade 150-6MW. One Haliade-X 12 MW can generate enough clean power to supply European 16,000 households according to wind conditions on a typical German North Sea site. Based on a 750 MW windfarm and an estimated AEP, the Haliade-X 12 MW could produce enough power for up to 1 million households.

Photo credit: GE Renewable Energy

BOTTOM LINE IMPACT

Haliade-X 12 MW doesn’t just set a new benchmark for the size of wind turbines at sea. It can also bring higher profitability to customers. The Haliade-X 12 MW provides significant savings across offshore wind turbine manufacturing, installation cycle times, service and repairs, through its simplified process and intelligent components. While the Haliade-X 12 MW sea turbine is well-suited for high-to-medium wind speed environments, its larger capacity can produce energy even at lower wind speeds, increasing profits and dramatically lowering the levelized cost of energy.

With fewer machines and offshore wind turbine foundations to install, in addition to reduced cycle times and simplified operation, the Haliade-X 12 MW generates robust savings on overall project cost (CAPEX Balance of Plant**) over the life of a windfarm, saving an average of $26 million per turbine per 100 MW when compared to Haliade 150-6MW.

Digital tools (based on GE’s Predix platform) are currently being developed exclusively for the offshore environment with an operations approach, that will help customers perform remote diagnostics, improve time management (less time at sea) and optimize operations.

End of statement.

I am happy to partake in this challenge to deliver the largest wind turbine ever as an Edison Engineering Development Program member.

You too could become a part of the EEDP program by searching for latest openings at GE Careers. Applications closing soon!

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of GE.