Race for ever-larger wind turbines might be unsustainable
8 May, 2023
The offshore wind supply chain is pushing back against the constant pursuit for bigger turbines given the financial difficulties experienced by the major turbine manufacturers and the ripple effects that the race for greater scale could create for other equipment-makers.
The largest turbine offerings from the major European and US suppliers — Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA and General Electric Co. — now reach 15 MW. Yet even before such machines make it into the water, the manufacturers are already said to be touting 18-MW to 20-MW turbines for projects being installed later this decade.
