The world’s most powerful wind turbine, a 20 MW machine manufactured by Mingyang Smart Energy, had survived a very powerful typhoon, the super-typhoon Yagi, but has now apparently succumbed to what appear to be multiple blade breaks. The damage occurred only months after the prototype machine, which has a rotor diameter of 260 metres or more, was installed at a test site at Lingao on the island province of Hainan in late August, reports online renewables magazine Recharge.
The blades on the MySE18.X-20MW prototype offshore model broke up early in December, according to Chinese news reports. Videos posted on Chinese social media show pieces of the giant blades falling from the turbine as it spins. Other videos and pictures posted show the turbine to be static, missing two blades entirely.
Mingyang on 13 December issued a statement saying a turbine at Hainan had suffered blade fracture under ‘extreme abnormal conditions’ during testing, offering valuable insights as it refines the new model. ‘Lessons had been learned’ during the test run, it said. “The turbine was being tested under extreme conditions, a process that is crucial to ensuring that our newly developed models meet high standards and high reliability … the product is still in the testing phase and has not yet been marketed or mass-produced. The situation did not cause any harm to personnel at the test site.
“After monitoring and analysing data of the wind turbine testing process, our preliminary conclusion is that the wind turbine encountered extreme, abnormal conditions during the test, causing the blades to exceed the design load limit value and thus become damaged and fractured.
“However, the entire machine and system remained intact and complied with industry-standard safety design requirements.”
Celebrated as the world’s largest wind turbine, the prototype survived typhoon Yagi, which devastated a nearby wind farm in Hainan when it swept through Asia in September. Mingyang president Qiying Zhang posted a video in November showing the turbine operating ‘at full power’.
The MySE18.X-20MW is described as having a modular, lightweight design with flexible power up to 20MW. With an average wind speed of 8.5m/s, it can generate 80 million kWh annually says Mingyang.
