Vestas has introduced its V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbine.
Vestas says the machine will harness the optimum design synergies from existing turbine platforms, such as the 9 MW and EnVentus platforms, and expand the industrialization of turbine design through a modular approach to scale components.
“Introducing our new offshore platform is a huge achievement for everyone at Vestas, as it marks a big leap forward in a very important journey,” says Henrik Andersen, president and CEO of Vestas. “Every decision Vestas makes today must be in service of building scale for renewables in the future – only by doing this can we ensure a more sustainable future energy system. Offshore wind will play an integral role in the growth of wind energy and the V236-15.0 MW will be a driver in this development by lowering levelized cost of energy – making our customers more competitive in offshore tenders going forward.”
Vestas notes that combining the wind industry’s largest rotor with the highest nominal rating, the 15 MW turbine is designed to deliver excellent performance while reducing the number of turbines at park level, strengthening the project business case. The globally applicable offshore turbine offers 65% higher annual energy production than the V174-9.5 MW – and for a 900 MW wind park – it boosts production by 5% with 34 fewer turbines. It offers excellent partial-load production, resulting in more stable energy production – and a capacity factor over 60% depending on site-specific conditions.
With the world’s largest swept area exceeding 43,000 m2, the V236-15.0 MW moves the boundaries of wind energy production to around 80 GWh/year.
