world’s biggest wind turbine, Clipper’s 7.5 megawatt MBE turbine prototype, also known as the Britannia at Crown Estate of England. The previous record was held by the Enercon E-126 wind turbine which is rated at 6 megawatt, but can produce around 7 in real world conditions. While the Enercon is land-based, the Britannia will be located in deep waters near the UK.
The Crown Estate noted that if the industry is to reach the delivery target of a total capacity of up to 33GW by 2020, this kind of support and research will be invaluable.
Rob Hastings, director of the marine estates at the Crown Estate, said: “It is widely recognized that offshore wind energy will provide the majority of the required contribution needed to ensure that the UK meets its demanding renewable energy target to supply 15% of our consumed energy from renewable sources by 2020.”