China has created the world’s first offshore double-headed wind turbine – it will work even in a strong typhoon

The Chinese company Mingyang Smart Energy has completed the creation of a unique offshore double-rotor wind turbine OceanX with a total capacity of 16.6 MW. The installation is able to remain operational even at wind speeds of 260 km/h. The mass of this unique floating object reaches 16,500 tons, and the design can withstand waves 30 m high. Hundreds and thousands of such wind turbines may soon appear along the Chinese coastline, providing the mainland with clean energy.

Image source: Mingyang Smart Energy

Mingyang produced a 1:10 scale prototype of the OceanX double-rotor floating wind turbine back in 2020. The production of a full-scale serial version of the turbine was recently completed. The colossal floating installation is made of highly reliable concrete, resistant to aggressive environments. The float has the shape of the letter Y. It is attached to the bottom with a depth of over 35 m with one anchor, which allows the wind turbine to always turn in the wind.

Two turbines with a capacity of 8.3 MW each are placed on the tops of the post in the shape of the letter V. The turbines are additionally secured by guy wires. The diameter of each rotor is 182 m. The blades rotate in different directions to avoid centrifugal load on the installation. The entire system withstands 0.135 turbulence, meaning it can operate in extremely challenging conditions. Typically, turbines are turned off when the turbulence exceeds a value of 0.06, so that the mechanism does not fail due to strong vibrations, which obviously does not threaten the Chinese offshore turbine.

China ranks first in the world in offshore wind development for the sixth year in a row, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. China’s goal is to source a third of its national energy consumption from renewable sources by 2025. China has about 9,010 miles (14,500 km) of coastline, so there is plenty of room for offshore wind farms. But besides all this, few people will remain indifferent to the flight of engineering thought – it is simply colossal.