Vestas has produced a prototype 80 meter blade for its V164-8.0MW wind turbine, the most powerful wind turbine in the world, at the company’s research and development centre on the Isle of Wight. The blade will now undergo extensive testing for a period of six months to ensure its reliability. During the test the blade will be exposed to pressures equivalent to those of challenging wind conditions in the North Sea over a simulated 25 year lifetime.
The blade is the equivalent of nine London double decker buses in length and has a swept area of 21,124 square meters – larger than the London Eye. It incorporates a structural shell design in which the loads of the blade are carried in the shell rather than using a spar at the centre of the blade.
“Test and verification of the blade is a critical stage of the development of the V164-8.0 MW” said Chief Technology Officer Anders Vedel. “Moving as much of the verification process as possible into our state of the art test centre ensures the blade, the bearing and other components perform to the high standards our customers expect.”
Mr Vedel added that the tests will provide certainty to customers seeking to invest heavily in offshore wind. The prototype is to be installed at the Danish national testing centre in Østerild during the first quarter of 2014.
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