Vestas has decided to install the V236-15 MW offshore prototype wind turbine in the second half of 2022 at the Osterild National test centre for large wind turbines in Western Jutland, Denmark.
The prototype — stretching 280m into the air with a production output of 80 GWh/year — will be the tallest and most powerful wind turbine in the world once installed.
“Getting the prototype turbine in the ground will underline how the V236-15.0 MW will raise the bar in terms of technological innovation, industrialisation and scale in the wind energy industry,” said Anders Nielsen, Vestas Chief Technology Officer.
Vestas developed the blade moulds at Vestas’ blade factory in Lem. Vestas will manufacture the 115.5m long prototype blades later this year at Vestas’ offshore blade factory in Nakskov. Vestas will develop and assemble the nacelle at the offshore nacelle factory in Lindo port of Odense. All large components will be preassembled and transported to Osterild, where installation will take place.
The prototype will be installed onshore to facilitate easy access for testing prior to installation, and the main prototype components will already have undergone thorough testing and verification at Vestas’ and our partners’ test facilities. During the initial period of operations, Vestas will collect data needed to obtain a Type Certificate, which is a key step in reaching serial production of the turbine in 2024.
With a swept area exceeding 43,000 m2, the V236-15.0 MW delivers industry-leading performance and moves the boundaries of wind energy production to around 80 GWh/year, enough to power around 20,000 European households and displace more than 38,000 tonnes of CO2, which is the equivalent to removing 25,000 passenger cars from the road every year.
The V235-15.0 MW offshore turbine offers 65 percent higher annual energy production than the V174-9.5 MW, and for a 900 MW wind park it increases production by five percent with 34 fewer turbines. It offers excellent partial-load production, resulting in a more stable energy production, and a capacity factor over 60 percent depending on site-specific conditions.
Vestas secured its first pre-selected tenderer status for the V236-15.0 MW turbine in July 2021 for the 900 MW He Dreiht project in Germany.