Vestas shifts offshore wind energy programme to 8 MW wind turbine

Vestas will reveal plans to upgrade its offshore wind power ambitions to focus on an 8MW wind turbine.

The V164 platform was from the very beginning developed with a possible potential of increasing the turbine size. The progress in the technology development has now shown that an 8 MW version will offer lower cost of energy and at the same time keep the reliability and structural integrity of the turbine unchanged.

The balance of plant will be reduced due to the increased power output per turbine. This means that the cost of energy will be reduced as the number of turbines, foundations, etc., as well as the required number of service visits will also decrease.

The development of the new V164-8.0 MW turbine is progressing according to schedule and several main components are close to completion.

• The blade mould for the 80-metre blades is ready at Vestas’ testing facilities on the Isle of Wight, UK, and the production of the first blade for testing purposes will be initiated during Q4.
• The prototype hub has been casted and is ready for testing.
• The generator and gear box will be ready for testing in Q1 2013.

Vestas is currently constructing a test bench capable of testing the complete drivetrain of the V164-8.0 MW turbine at our testing facilities in Aarhus, Denmark. The test bench will be commissioned in January 2013.

Vestas still expects the first prototype of the V164-8.0 MW turbine to be installed in Oesterild, Denmark, in 2014.

http://www.vestas.com