Mega-Turbines Poised for Serial Production | Wind Technology Magazine Article

Mega-Turbines Poised for Serial Production #renewable #cleantech #greenenergy

The Haliade 150 sits at land’s edge in Le Carnet, in France’s Loire-Atlantique region, on a site that was planned as a nuclear facility in the 1970s but later abandoned. The Le Carnet site was chosen partly because it is geologically similar to the submarine environment where the turbine will eventually be installed; the coastal soil is essentially sand, said Frederic Hendrick, vice president for offshore wind. And the wind conditions at Le Carnet closely resemble those in the North Sea. The Haliade tops a 75-metre tower, a 25-metre jacket foundation and monopiles driven 30 metres into the seabed. The foundation sits partially above ground, ‘onshore but installed as if it was at sea,’ explains Hendrick. The turbine was installed at the site in February 2012 and has begun its 18-month testing phase. ‘In offshore wind, size matters,’ says Hendrick. And offshore turbines don’...

Full article: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012...