[ad_1]
This image shows Vestas wind turbines in operation at a facility in Russia.
Valery Matytsin | TASS | Getty Images
Vestas on Wednesday announced plans for a 15-megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine, with the Danish company hoping to install a prototype next year before ramping up production in 2024.
According to the Aarhus-based company, the giant V236-15.0 MW turbine will be capable of generating around 80 gigawatt hours per year.
This, he argues, would be enough to power around 20,000 European homes, saving over 38,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Vestas is the latest company to move forward with the development of a major offshore wind turbine. GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X can be configured to 12, 13 or 14 MW, while Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is working on a 14 MW turbine that can also be upgraded to 15 MW if needed.
As technology has developed, the size of wind turbines has increased. In a recent report, industry body WindEurope said the average nominal capacity of turbines installed in Europe last year was 8.2 MW, a 5% increase over 2019. Capacity refers to the maximum amount a turbine can produce, not necessarily what it is currently producing.
Wednesday also saw Vestas release its annual report for 2020. The firm said its profit for the year was 771 million euros ($ 934 million), a little better than the 700 million euros announced for 2019. Vestas’ turnover in 2020 reached 14.8. billion euros, an increase of 22% compared to 2019.
Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Wednesday, CEO Henrik Andersen said he was happy the company was able to operate despite what he described as “difficult conditions from Covid-19”.
Europe’s offshore wind sector attracted more than € 26 billion in investment last year, a record amount, according to WindEurope.
In an announcement on Monday, the Brussels-based organization said the cash raised would fund a total of 7.1 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity, with projects expected to be developed and built over the next few years.
[ad_2]
Source link