Recently GE’s Haliade-X wind turbine set a world record by generating 288 MWh of electrical energy in a single day. Now its makers can announce another first – on 21 September GE Renewable Energy signed the first contract for the giant WTG, under which it will supply 190 Haliade-X 13 MW units for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, the first two phases of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, located in the North Sea some 130 km off the English east coast.
With this huge contract the Haliade-X has quickly become a major player in offshore wind. GE’s development arm has designed a machine with 107m blades, and last year began testing a prototype of the Haliade-X at the Port of Rotterdam. The working prototype was initially referred to as the Haliade-X 12 MW. The Dogger Bank contract is for a turbine called the Haliade-X 13 MW because during development its designers found out that the unit could in fact be rated 1 MW higher that the original design goal. When the Dogger Bank project is completed – expected in 2026 – it is projected to be able to supply 3.6 GWe.
GE believes it can increase the WTG’s rating even further from essentially the same design. An interesting outcome, given that the International Energy Agency is projecting that global offshore wind will attract a cumulative $1 trillion in investment by 2040.
