World's largest wind turbine, 260 meters in diameter, is under construction
Increasing the diameter from 171 to 260 meters takes capacity from 5 MW to 18 MW
Image: CSSC Haizhuang
The image below shows the growth in power capacity delivered by large turbines including the H260, the 260 meter diameter giant under construction by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), as a function of the turbine's diameter. It is, of course, very much an experiment in progress, and we are yet to see what benefits and issues it is going to bring.
When it comes to issues, I definitely wonder what the linear speed would be of the tips of these enormous blades on a windy day. Apparently, even a 75 m turbine can build up blade tip speed up to 80 m/s, or 288 km/h. These blades can cause injury, or even death, to some birds, and in general this green technology is not "green" in all of its aspects, and thus the environmental impact of it also needs to be considered. But all other considerations notwithstanding, this project is quite impressive.
References
World's new largest wind turbine sweeps 10 football fields per spin
Loz Blain, New Atlas, 9 January 2022
The World's Biggest Wind Turbine Blades Are So Long Their Tips Spin at 180 MPH
Andrew Tarantola, Gizmodo, 31 January 2012
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This is better than any nuclear power station.
Why?
Actually, a properly configured and operated nuclear plant is as close to 100% clean as you can imagine.
There is no guarantee for properly operation.
Absolutely correct.
Every technology carries some inherent risk with it.
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