A colossal 18 MW wind turbine is about to debut in China
A Chinese manufacturer is on the brink of launching what will become the largest offshore wind turbine when it’s complete.
18 MW wind turbine
GE Renewable Energy announced in December that its Haliade-X, the first wind turbine capable of more than 12 megawatts (MW), received a full type certificate for operations up to 14.7 MW from DNV, the world’s largest independent certification body. That officially made it the world’s most powerful wind turbine – but the Haliade-X won’t get to wear that crown for long.
That’s because industrial manufacturer CSSC Haizhuang, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, one of China’s top 10 defense groups, has unveiled the rotor hub and nacelle for a monstrous 18 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine prototype.
The H260-18MW will have a rotor diameter of 853 feet (260 meters). To put that in perspective, that rotor diameter is as long as the height of the Haliade-X, which has a rotor diameter of 722 feet (220 meters). The 18 MW turbine will have 420-feet-long (128-meter-long) blades with a sweep area of 570,487 square feet (53,000 square meters). The blades will have independent pitch control, a well known method of reducing blade loads.
CSSC says 80% of the turbine’s components are being made in-house to cut down on supply chain issues.
According to the Chongqing-based company, the H260-18MW will be able to generate 44.8 kilowatt-hours of electricity per revolution at full power. A single wind turbine will be able to produce more than 74 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year – the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 40,000 households.
CSSC’s 18 MW turbine is going to bump MingYang‘s and Goldwind/China Three Gorges Corporation’s 16 MW turbines out of their anticipated top spots. The latter’s nacelle debuted in November.
Western manufacturers GE, Siemens Gamesa, and Vestas are all currently developing 15MW turbines.
Electrek’s Take
I stopped and pondered why I get such a charge out of (no pun intended) the announcements of ever-larger wind turbines being built. Is it just childish excitement over superlatives, like when we’d pore over the Guinness Book of World Records as kids? Maybe a tiny bit. Plus, innovation is exciting.
But mostly, it’s the sheer amount of clean energy these titans can produce. “The equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 40,000 households” – that brings hope. And in the race to keep global warming to 1.5C, we can use every clean kilowatt-hour of energy – and all the hope – we can get.
Photo: CSSC Haizhuang
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On today’s sunny side up episode of Quick Charge, we take a look at the latest from the world of solar power, and discuss Congressional Republicans’ plans to limit your energy independence by eliminating a critical tax credit for homeowners nearly ten years early. (!)
We’ve also got a quick review of a massive solar farm powering 200,000 homes in Indiana and the biggest solar project East of the Mississippi – both part of a record 98% of all new power generation and grid capacity introduced in 2025 coming from wind and solar. Those are jobs, those are lower utility rates, those are energy independence … so why are Congressional Republicans working to make that more expensive?
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If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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A Waymo autonomous vehicle drives along Masonic Avenue on April 11, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Alphabet’s Waymo unit has received approval to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service to more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose.
In March, the company submitted a request to the California Public Utilities Commission to gain approval for its latest passenger safety plan, a key step in gaining permission to operate driverless vehicles across a broader area. On Monday, the proposed expansion was approved, allowing for Waymo’s driverless coverage to extend from San Francisco down through the Peninsula.
“We’re very excited to share that the CPUC has approved our application to operate our fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the South Bay and nearly all of San Jose!” the company wrote in a post on X on Monday. “While this won’t change our operations in the near-term, we’re looking forward to bringing the benefits of Waymo One to more of the Bay Area in the future.”
The $5 billion Empire Wind is back in business. The Trump administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has lifted its stop-work order for Empire Wind, a major offshore wind project off the coast of New York led by Empire Offshore Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Equinor. Construction is now allowed to resume.
Equinor CEO Anders Opedal welcomed the news, saying the restart reinforces Equinor’s commitment to delivering clean energy while supporting local economies and saving thousands of jobs. He also credited a wide coalition of officials for helping get the project back on track, including Trump, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and congressional leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Dan Goldman. Opedal also thanked the Norwegian prime minister and the minister of finance for raising the issue with the US administration.
Governor Hochul said in a statement that “countless conversations with Equinor and White House officials” had taken place.
Neither the BOEM nor the Department of the Interior has issued a comment.
The Trump administration halted construction of the 54-turbine Empire Wind on April 16, but discussions between Equinor, regulators, and leaders at the federal, state, and city levels led to a reversal. That means Empire Wind can now push ahead with its goal of powering 500,000 New York homes with offshore wind energy.
“This project delivers on the energy ambitions shared by the US and New York by providing a vital new source of power to the region,” said Molly Morris, president of Equinor Wind US. She added that Empire Wind is boosting supply chain investments across the country, with activity in New York, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, and South Carolina.
Equinor plans to reassess the project’s financials in the second quarter. The goal is still to install turbines offshore in 2025 and hit full commercial operation by 2027. The company says it will work with suppliers and regulators to minimize any delays from the month-long pause.
Empire Wind was first awarded its offshore lease in 2017 after a competitive federal process. It received its final construction green light in early 2024 following an extensive environmental review. Construction kicked off shortly after, and the project is now over 30% complete.
The US is a major market for Equinor. The Norwegian energy giant says it has invested around $60 billion in US energy projects since the early 2000s, more recently in low-carbon solutions, critical minerals, and renewables. Empire Wind is one of its flagship projects in the US.
Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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