The world's most powerful wind turbine in operation, GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X 12 MW prototype, has reached an important milestone.
Namely, classification company DNV GL has granted it a provisional type certificate (IECRE Provisional RNA Component Certificate) which demonstrates GE’s Haliade-X prototype has the highest safety and quality standards and provides evidence that its design is on-track to meet the full type certification requirements.
Testing activities of the 107-meter long blade currently taking place at UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult in Blyth, and at Boston’s Wind Technology Testing Center in the US, will continue as planned to complete the documentation required to get the full type certificate in the months to come, DNV GL said.
John Lavelle, CEO of Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy said “This is a very important milestone for us as it confirms the robustness of our Haliade-X 12 MW design, and gives certainty to our current and future customers who believe in the attributes of our platform. When we introduced the Haliade-X 12 MW we established a new paradigm in the industry, and we will continue to do so by innovating, improving, and introducing new features to our Haliade-X platform, making offshore wind a more affordable and competitive source of renewable energy.”
Dr. Kim Mørk, Executive Vice President for Renewables Certification at DNV GL said “GE’s Haliade-X 12 MW is a significant breakthrough for the offshore wind industry. Developing new and innovative technology always brings an element of uncertainty and risk. Type certification is a vital measure to demonstrate that new turbines will operate safely, reliably and according to requirements and we are proud to provide our offshore wind expertise to this important new technology development and support our customers enter into new markets.”
The Haliade-X technology has been selected as a preferred wind turbine for the 120 MW Skip Jack and 1,100 MW Ocean Wind projects in the US, and the 3,600 MW Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the UK. All combined, GE’s Haliade-X technology will power more than 5 million households in both countries. Haliade-X serial production will start at GE’s Saint-Nazaire factory in France during the second half of 2021.
The prototype located in Rotterdam set a new world record in January 2020 by generating 288 MWh of continuous power in one day. The Haliade-X has also been recognized as the Best Sustainable Invention of the Year by TIME magazine and Best Wind Turbine of the Year by Wind Power Monthly magazine.
One GE Haliade-X 12 MW offshore wind turbine can generate up to 67 GWh of gross annual energy production, providing enough clean energy to power 16,000 European households and save up to 42,000 metric tons of CO2, which is the equivalent of the emissions generated by 9,000 vehicles in one year.