Adwen and LM Wind Power have come together to build the longest turbine blade in the world.
The component is 88.4 meters long and has been specifically designed for Adwen’s AD 8-180 wind-turbine model, with 8 MW nominal capacity and 180-meter rotor diameter. The first of these huge blades was manufactured at LM Wind Power’s factory in Lunderskov, Denmark.
The engineering teams of both companies have been working together for months to design and integrate a blade that represents an important step forward in the race to lower the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE). With the largest rotor in the industry (180 meters), the AD 8-180 has the highest annual energy production of all wind turbines.
The LM 88.4 P blade has been designed with manufacturing and reliability in mind, benefiting from the know-how of LM Wind Power, which has developed large blades for offshore application for 25 years and resulting in a 925 MW installed base. LM Wind Power’s track record combined with Adwen’s powerful turbine, technology, and experience from operating 630 MW offshore wind farms have resulted in a state-of-the-art rotor integration.
The blade’s 88.4-meter length is the best compromise between swept area, energy production, and weight as well as loads transferred to the wind turbine. This combination provides the optimum balance of plant costs and contributes to one of the most competitive LCoE in the industry. In addition, the blade design has been conceived with scalability in mind so Adwen’s 8 MW platform can be developed.
“When you are building the largest wind turbine in the world, almost everything you do is an unprecedented challenge,” said Adwen General Manager Luis Álvarez. “We are going where no one else has ever gone before, pushing all the known frontiers in the industry. Having developed and integrated together with LM Wind Power the first unit of the longest blade ever and being able to start testing is a key step forward in the development of our AD 8-180 and proves that Adwen is at the forefront of the industry.”
“The LM 88.4 P blade is an extraordinary example of industrialized innovation at record-breaking scale,” said LM Wind Power CEO Marc de Jong. “It is based on innovation building blocks, rooted in 35 years of real-life experience, in the design, technology, and manufacturing of ultra-long, reliable blades. This blade is a strong proof point of the shared ambition of Adwen and LM Wind Power to bring forward best-in-class and proven rotor solutions for offshore application, increasing annual energy output through efficient and reliable technology.”
Source Adwen
For more information, go to www.adwenoffshore.com.
