NOTE: The following article has been updated following a statement from Mingyang Good Power.
On December 13, Mingyang Good Power issued a statement regarding reports of two blades detaching from its 20 MW offshore wind turbine prototype located in Hainan, China. The company clarified that the wind turbine was subjected to extreme testing conditions, leading the blades to endure forces beyond their design specifications during the trials.
Reports indicate that the blade failure incident transpired on December 6 and involved the MySE18.X-20MW prototype.
In a message to offshoreWIND.biz, Mingyang Good Power remarked: “Recently, images have been circulating online showing fractures in the blades of Mingyang wind turbines. These images depict a prototype currently undergoing testing at our large turbine testing center in Lingao, Hainan. The turbine experienced intense conditions, an essential step to ensure that our new models meet stringent standards for reliability and performance. It is crucial to note that this product is still in the testing phase and has not yet been commercially available. Fortunately, no personnel were injured at the testing site.”
The company also elaborated via social media on December 13 that its analysis of the testing data led to a preliminary finding: the wind turbine encountered extreme and irregular testing circumstances, which caused the blades to surpass their design load thresholds and ultimately fail.
“Intense testing is a vital component of our innovative research and development process. We will continue to enhance our comprehensive assessment of the product’s adaptability under such low-probability scenarios to improve its functionality and ensure superior, safer, and more reliable performance,” stated Mingyang.
Details regarding the specific prototype that experienced blade failure were not disclosed by the company.
Regarding the MySE 18.X-20 MW prototype, Mingyang produced the nacelle at its Shanwei facility in December 2023 and deployed the turbine at the onshore testing site in August of the same year.
During its announcement, Mingyang proclaimed this prototype as the world’s largest single-capacity offshore wind turbine, capable of flexible power ratings ranging from 18+ MW to 20 MW, with rotor diameters varying from 260 to 292 meters.
With an average wind speed of 8.5 m/s, this model can generate approximately 80 million kWh annually, which compensates for about 66,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the yearly energy consumption of approximately 96,000 households, as previously stated by the manufacturer.
Mingyang also indicated that the turbine is designed for global deployment in regions experiencing medium to high wind speeds and is specifically tailored to withstand typhoons with gusts of up to 79.8 m/s.
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