one rotation of GE's 'haliade-X' wind turbine could power a house for two days

over the past few years, general electric (GE) has been developing the ‘haliade-X’ — the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine. GE says that just one rotation of the turbine, which stands at a total height of 260 meters (853 ft), could power a UK household for more than two days. the haliade-X features a 13 MW or 12 MW capacity, 220-meter (722 ft) rotor, a 107-meter (351 ft) blade, and digital capabilities that help customers perform remote diagnostics, improve time management (less time at sea), and optimize operations.

all images courtesy of GE

GE says that the haliade-X is not only the most powerful wind turbine in the world, but that it also features a 60-64% capacity factor — five to seven points above industry standard. capacity factor compares how much energy was generated against the maximum that could have been produced at continuous full power operation during a specific period of time. the company adds that each incremental point in capacity factor represents around $7 million USD in revenue for GE customers over the life of a windfarm.

the combination of a bigger rotor, longer blades, and higher capacity factor makes the turbine less sensitive to wind speed variations, increasing predictability and the ability to generate more power at low wind speeds. the device can capture more annual energy production (AEP) than any other offshore wind turbine even at low wind conditions. according to wind conditions on a typical german north sea site, one haliade-X 13 MW turbine can generate up to 64 to 74 GWh of gross annual energy production, saving up to 52,000 metric tons of CO2, which is the equivalent of the emissions generated by 11,000 vehicles in one year.

in november 2020, it was confirmed that the haliade-X turbines would feature as part of the world’s largest offshore wind farm. located off the north-east coast of england, the dogger bank wind farm will be completed in phases before reaching full commercial operations in 2026. phases A and B will feature a total of 190 haliade-X 13 MW offshore wind turbines, which are scheduled to deliver the first electricity in 2023. on completion, dogger bank wind farm is expected to power up to 6 million homes annually in the UK, equivalent to 5% of the UK’s total electricity demand.