World's largest 16MW offshore wind turbine starts operation and connects to grid

The world's largest 16-megawatt offshore wind turbine has gone into operation in southeast China's Fujian Province and connects to national grid on Wednesday, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

The offshore wind turbine, which has the world's largest impeller diameter and largest single unit capacity of 16 MW, can be widely used in sea areas where wind speeds are medium or high.

With its wheel hub at a height of 146 meters and the diameter of the impeller reaching 252 meters, the impeller of the offshore wind turbine can sweep an area of about 50,000 square meters, equivalent to seven standard football fields put together.

Under rated working conditions, a single unit can generate 34.2 kWh per revolution, and an average annual output of more than 66 million kWh of clean electricity, sufficient for 36,000 three-member households to consume for one year.

China produces nearly 60 percent of the global wind power equipment, according to CMG.

By the end of 2022, the cumulative installed capacity of global offshore wind power has reached 57.6 gigawatt (GW), and China accounts for 53 percent of the global market share.

The country's wind power equipment exports are also growing rapidly, with equipment selling to 49 countries and regions and the total export installed capacity reaching 11.93 million kilowatts.

(CGTN)