Offshore wind tech firm MHI Vestas says that the uprated version of its 8 MW turbine platform will be able to reach outputs of 9 MW in certain site conditions.

Sian Crampsie

Offshore wind tech firm MHI Vestas says that the uprated version of its 8 MW turbine platform will be able to reach outputs of 9 MW in certain site conditions.

MHI Vestas has announced that a prototype V164 model installed at Osterild broke the energy generation record for a commercially available offshore wind turbine on Thursday 1st December 2016, producing 216 000 kWh over a 24 hour period.

According to MHI Vestas, the increased energy production per wind turbine will add value for many projects and save on capital expenditure (CAPEX) costs as fewer machines will be needed to meet permitted project capacities.

“Our prototype at Østerild sets yet another record for power production, producing 216 000 kWh over a 24 hour period,” said Torben Hvid Larsen, MHI Vestas CTO. “We are confident that the 9 MW machine has now proven that it is ready for the market and we believe that our wind turbine will play an integral part in enabling the offshore industry to continue to drive down the cost of energy.”

The 9 MW turbine is based on the V164-8.0 MW, a machine already installed at the 258 MW Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm in the UK.