NORWAY’S WORLD-BIGGEST, SHIP-AT-SEA WIND TURBINE

Norway plans the world's most powerful wind turbine
Phillipp Guelland, 16 February 2010 (UK Independent)

"Norway plans to build the world's most powerful wind turbine, hoping the new technology will increase the profitability of costly offhsore wind farms…

"With a rotor diametre of 145 metres (475 feet), the 10-megawatt protype will be roughly three times more powerful than ordinary wind turbines currently in place, Enova, a public agency owned by Norway's petroleum and oil industry ministry, said."

Turbines are growing with the wind industry. (click to enlarge)

"The world's largest wind turbine, 162.5 metres (533 feet) tall, will be built by Norwegian company Sway with the objective of developing a technology that will result in higher energy generation for offshore wind power.

"It will first be tested on land in Oeygarden, southwestern Norway, for two years [and Enova hopes to install it commercially in 2011]…"

This Siemens sketch shows that today's turbines are bigger than jets, so imagine how big turbines with 3 times the capacity will be. (click to enlarge)

"The gain in power over current turbines will be obtained partly by reducing the weight and the number of moving parts in the turbine…[T]he prototype will cost 400 million kroner to build and could supply power to 2,000 homes…

"Enova pledged 137 million Norwegian kroner (17 million euros, 23 million dollars) to build the prototype…Environmental groups have been highly critical of Norway's government for not having invested enough in wind power…The Scandinavian country is one of the world's top oil and gas producers but obtains most of its own energy through hydroelectric power."