China unveils the world's largest wind turbine at 26 MW
China surprises the world by breaking its record. The country has unveiled the world's largest wind turbine, with a capacity of 26 megawatts (MW) and a height of 185 meters. In addition to being robust against harsh weather conditions, a single turbine could power an entire city.
The Chinese corporation Dongfang Electric Corporation has announced the completion of the world's largest wind turbine, boasting a capacity of 26 MW. The turbine, standing at 185 metres, is capable of generating 100 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy annually, provided the wind speed is 35 kilometres per hour. This represents another step for China towards domination in the renewable energy sector.
Height record broken again by China
China continues to push the boundaries of wind energy technology. Last year, a Chinese manufacturer achieved a milestone by completing the construction of the world's largest offshore wind turbine, an engineering marvel capable of powering an entire city. Now they have built an even taller structure.
The new turbine is 31% larger than the previous record-holder and even surpasses the size of the largest planned turbines, according to BloombergNEF data. Its efficiency enables it to supply power to approximately 55,000 homes annually, removing the need to burn more than 30,000 tonnes of coal and preventing the release of over 80,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The turbine will withstand the most extreme marine conditions
The turbine has been designed with harsh marine conditions in mind, where it will operate. Its construction is resilient to typhoons and other severe weather phenomena, while advanced anti-corrosion systems protect it from the detrimental effects of sea salt. In November 2024, the company announced that the turbine had been produced at the Fujian Fuzhou Offshore Wind Power Industrial Park and would soon commence operations.
"From the first Asian turbines with a capacity of 10 MW and 13 MW to the world's largest 18 MW turbines, and now 26 MW, Dongfang Electric has propelled China into the era of large offshore wind power. This progress underpins China's leadership in offshore wind energy, transitioning from a follower to a global leader," stated Dongfang Electric Corporation in its press release.
China as a leader in wind energy production
China is a global leader in wind energy production, boasting the largest installed wind energy capacity worldwide. In 2023, the country installed 77.1 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy, representing 65% of the global capacity. However, despite these impressive achievements, China still relies on coal as its primary energy source. In 2024, the country commenced construction on 94.5 GW of new coal capacity, the highest rate in a decade. Notably, China remains the world's largest annual emitter of carbon dioxide.
