Vestas’ V236-15.0MW prototype wind turbine has successfully produced its first kWh of power. The turbine is now fully installed at the Østerild Test Center in Denmark, a facility that tests fully-sized offshore wind turbines before they enter the market. 

As the world’s most powerful wind turbine, one V236-15.0MW can produce 80 GWh per year. According to Vestas, that’s enough to power about 20,000 European households and save more than 418,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year. In comparison, 2.75MW was the median capacity of a turbine in the United States in 2020, producing an average of about 10 GWh per year. 

Its 115.5m blades deliver a capacity factor of over 60 percent, meaning that fewer turbines can produce a greater annual energy production. Vestas V236-15.0MW is also the world’s tallest wind turbine at 919 feet. 

As Vestas’ Chief Technology Officer, Anders Nielsen, stated, “This is a great step forward in our ambition to accelerate the green energy transition…With this wind turbine, we set new standards for technological innovation, industrialization, and scale across renewable energy to create a sustainable offshore wind industry.”

V236-15.0MW will undergo an extensive test and verification program before full-type certification and serial production begins. The test program for its generator, converter, and grid system integration has already begun. The turbine will reportedly debut in 2024 at Denmark’s Frederikshavn wind farm. It has also been selected for New Jersey’s Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm and New York’s Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 projects.

As industries are looking to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, offshore wind turbines like V236-15.0MW could be a massive game changer in terms of energy production.

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