The GE Brief: September 22, 2020
BIG DEAL
Last December, when Time magazine listed the Haliade-X among the best inventions of 2019, it was just one in a series of milestones for the mighty machine — the most powerful offshore wind turbine in operation today. Following its moment in the media spotlight, the Haliade-X proceeded to set a world record by generating 288 megawatt-hours of electrical energy in a single day. Now it’s passed another landmark: Monday GE Renewable Energy signed the first contract for the spinning champion, agreeing to supply 190 Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbines for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, the first two phases of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, located in the North Sea some 130 kilometers off the English coast.
They grow up so fast: The Haliade-X has quickly become a major player in offshore wind. “The one thing I learned in my career is never doubt the capability of GE's engineering talent, regardless of the technology,” said John Lavelle, CEO of GE Renewable Energy’s Offshore Wind unit. Lavelle’s team decided to go big, designing a machine with blades that stretch 107 meters apiece, and last year began testing a prototype of the Haliade-X at the Port of Rotterdam. The working prototype revealed strengths of a turbine initially referred to as the Haliade-X 12 MW. The Dogger Bank contract is for a turbine called the Haliade-X 13 MW — the team figured out how to generate one more megawatt than was in their original goals. When the Dogger Bank project is completed — slated for 2026 — it’s projected to be able to supply 3.6 gigawatts of electrical power, enough to supply 4.5 million U.K. households.
The road ahead: Lavelle and Vincent Schellings, who leads the development of the turbine, say they now think of the Haliade-X as a platform, where they can increase its output without starting from scratch on a new design. Lavelle said the working machine gave GE a “strategic road map to have a sustainable competitive advantage in the offshore wind industry. That's our goal.” And that’s a good place to be: With the International Energy Agency projecting that global offshore wind will attract a cumulative $1 trillion in investment by 2040, this is an industry with a strong breeze to its back.
Learn more here about the Haliade-X, a certified big deal in the world of wind.
BY THE NUMBERS
One single rotation of a Haliade-X 13 MW is enough to power a typical U.K. household for two days. We’ve put together a graphic to illustrate just how powerful that can be.
The Haliade-X 12 MW prototype in Rotterdam raised the bar for wind energy. It is performing so well that the machines for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B will be rated even higher — at 13 MW.
— QUOTE OF THE DAY —
“There's always the thrill of the minute and challenges, and it's that ability to overcome the challenges you face on your journey that separates the winners from the wannabes.”
— John Lavelle, CEO of GE Renewable Energy’s Offshore Wind unit
Quote: GE Reports. Images: GE Renewable Energy.