Vestas V164-7.0 MW turbine animation

Video Source: http://youtu.be/X6ybRXS5CWI

Text Source: http://www.vestas.com/en/wind-power-plants/towards-20-years-in-offshore/offshore-stories/vestas%E2%80%99-new-v164-7.0-mw---ruler-of-the-sea.aspx?action=3

An offshore turbine of epic proportions facing the world’s gigantic energy challenges. The new offshore mega turbine from Vestas, the V164-7.0 MW, was presented to the world as ‘the new ruler at sea’ when launched in London on March 30.

The UK is the offshore wind hub of the world for the next many years with 32 gigawatts of offshore projects in the pipeline. What better place to present the newest and by far the tallest member of the Vestas family – the V164-7.0 MW turbine – than next to the water and the London Eye observation wheel in central London. A huge construction with a diameter of 135 meters, yet still dwarfed in size had it been next to the 164 meter rotor of the V164-7.0 MW.

The V164-7.0 MW is the largest R&D product investment in Vestas’ history and the first turbine created directly for the offshore wind energy market.

Finn Strøm Madsen, President of Vestas Technology R&D, says the introduction of the V164-7.0 MW offshore turbine will change the game for offshore wind energy.

“The three main features of the V164-7.0 MW are size, reliability and lowering the Cost of Energy. The sheer size of the swept area (over 21.000 sq meters) together with unrivalled reliability outweighs many of the extra costs of installing and operating at sea. Hence, the competition between offshore and onshore Cost of Energy just got tougher, narrowing the gap between the two,” says Finn Strøm Madsen.

The V164-7.0 MW is designed for North Sea conditions, which are amongst the roughest in the world. Many of the very large offshore wind power plants in the pipeline in the UK and other European countries are to be operated in such conditions. For that reason, it has been designed to last 25 years.

Some Vestas customers have been directly involved in the development of the V164-7.0 MW from when the development began in 2009.

“In reality there are no fancy new technologies, since we at Vestas trust proven concepts from the wind industry and others such as the automotive and aerospace industries. This echoes the voice of our nearest offshore customers who want to be certain about their business case with investments this size,” says Finn Strøm Madsen.