China has assembled the world’s largest single-unit floating offshore wind power system as it accelerates efforts to expand its marine economy and clean energy industry.
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Assembly of the 16-megawatt system has been completed in Beihai, in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday.
All of its key parts, from mooring cables and turbine gearboxes to ballast control systems, were produced domestically, the official newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
The turbine’s rotor, with a diameter of 252 metres (almost 827 feet), covers an area the size of seven soccer pitches. Once operational, it is expected to generate about 44.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year – enough to power over 4,000 average American homes.
The next step in the project will see the system towed offshore into waters deeper than 50 metres for installation and testing ahead of connection to the grid and commercial operation.
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Mounted on a semi-submersible platform, the turbine is equipped with China’s first dynamic ballast system.