The prototype set a new world record this past weekend by being the first wind turbine ever to generate 262 MWh of clean energy in 24 hours, enough energy to power 30,000 households in the region. Over the next five-year period, the Haliade-X prototype will undergo a series of tests to validate the turbine’s power curve, loads, grid performance and reliability. The tests will also allow GE to validate operational procedures for installation and services teams and obtain a Type Certificate for the Haliade-X in 2020, keeping GE on track to commercialize the turbine by 2021.
Diederik de Bruin, project manager at Future Wind, said, “We are glad to be able to collaborate with GE Renewable Energy in having the world’s first 12 MW wind turbine installed at our SiF site in Rotterdam. We believe this milestone is relevant not only for the global offshore wind industry, but also proves how Dutch companies (such as SiF and Pondera) are engaged with the development of renewable energy.”
John Lavelle, CEO of Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy, added, “The testing that the prototype will undergo is one part of a multi-faceted testing process that will enable us to commercialize the Haliade-X by 2021, just in time for the strong growth uptick we are seeing in offshore wind worldwide.”
The Haliade-X technology has been selected already as the preferred wind turbine for 4,800 MW of power in several offshore wind farms: the 120 MW Skip Jack and 1,100 MW Ocean Wind projects in the U.S., and the 3,600 MW Dogger Bank project in the UK. Serial production of the Haliade-X 12 MW will start at the second half of 2021.
The global offshore wind market is projected to grow from just over 20 GW today to 190 GW by 2030 according the Global Wind Energy Council, and the International Energy Agency has projected that the total investment in offshore wind could top $1 trillion by 2040.
