OceanX, a dual-headed deep-water giant, generates power even during Category 5 hurricanes.
A Chinese wind turbine manufacturer has officially launched the world’s largest single-capacity floating wind turbine platform.
MingYang Smart Energy’s new design, Ocean X, features a dual-turbine ‘V’ shape with a total capacity of 16.6 MW and has been launched in the southern Chinese port city of Guangzhou.
The estimated production capacity stands at 54,000 MWh per year, which is sufficient to power about 30,000 Chinese houses.
The company’s offshore wind solutions, which can generate wind power in deep waters up to 62 miles (100 kilometers) and 100 m deep, include the MySE 5.5MW, MySE 7.25MW, and the new Ocean X 16.6MW double-rotor floating wind systems.
In December 2023, the company unveiled the world’s first typhoon-proof wind turbine with a power rating of 18 MW.
Innovative deep water turbines
The OceanX platform, designed by MingYang Smart Energy and constructed in collaboration with Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company and China State Shipbuilding Corporation, is a feat in modern engineering.
A 1:10-scale prototype was tested in 2020, and in April this year, the firm completed the installation of the OceanX platform at its original scale.
Its twin counter-rotating rotors, each powered by MySE16.6(T) wind turbines with blade diameters of 597 ft (182 m), sit atop a V-shaped structure. This structure is braced with high-tension cable stays and mounted on a Y-shaped floating platform, ensuring maximum stability.
Weighing approximately 16,500 tons (15,000 tonnes), the floating platform is engineered to operate in waters deeper than 115 ft (35 m), allowing it to harness optimal offshore wind resources.
MingYang claims the turbines’ full yaw capability further enhances their efficiency. The platform is constructed with ultra-high-performance concrete for enhanced durability and cost efficiency. It employs a single-point mooring system, which increases stability even in typhoon conditions and reduces the impact on the marine environment.
Furthermore, the OceanX platform is designed to endure Category 5 hurricane conditions, withstanding winds up to 161 mph (260 km/h) and waves as high as 98 ft (30 m). Remarkably, it can continue producing electricity even in these extreme conditions by turning into the wind.
According to the firm, this combination of advanced design and construction techniques makes OceanX a pioneering force in renewable energy, capable of meeting substantial energy demands while withstanding harsh marine environments.
Advancing wind power
Wind turbines can now produce more electricity in a single spin and have risen in size throughout time. The original plan was to move the turbines offshore in order to preserve land for uses like farming.
Nonetheless, the advantage of harnessing the swifter-moving ocean winds has resulted in the emergence of a burgeoning offshore wind farming sector.
Guangdong, China-based MingYang Smart Energy has made headlines for developing increasingly powerful wind turbines. Since 2021, when it connected 14 MW turbines to the grid, MingYang has swiftly advanced to a 16 MW turbine currently being installed and recently unveiled a 20 MW prototype.
Competing with global leaders like Siemens Gamesa and domestic rivals such as GoldWind and CSSC Haizhuang, MingYang’s turbine diameters range from 853 to 958 feet (260-292 meters), sweeping an area akin to nine soccer fields.
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With an annual capacity of 80 million kWh in eastern Guangdong, these turbines can power 96,000 households and reduce CO2 emissions by 66,000 tonnes. Designed for medium to high wind speeds, they feature “active anti-typhoon technology,” capable of withstanding Category 17 typhoons with winds up to 200 feet per second (61 m/s).
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Jijo Malayil Jijo is an automotive and business journalist based in India. Armed with a BA in History (Honors) from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, and a PG diploma in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi, he has worked for news agencies, national newspapers, and automotive magazines. In his spare time, he likes to go off-roading, engage in political discourse, travel, and teach languages.
