Guodian United Power has installed a prototype of its 6MW offshore turbine on a beach at Weifang, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong.
The turbine was installed on 6 November and boasts a doubly-fed induction generator and 66.5m carbon fibre blades. The nacelle sits 90m above the ground.
Produced by Guodian at its factory in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, the turbine has a compact structure and features an outer gear ring yaw bearing, large double-row cone main bearing, and short principal axis in order to reduce the weight of the turbine. It also features independent pitch control.
Guodian is amongst a group of Chinese turbine manufacturers racing to commercialise designs suitable for the country's emerging offshore wind market. Others include Sinovel, which has produced 6MW machines and has received funds to accelerate a 10MW design, Dongfang Electric, which offers a 5.5MW turbine, and CSIC Haizhuang and XEMC, both of which offer 5MW designs.
Another arm of the Guodian corporation is involved in offshore wind development, and has received preliminary permission to build a 300MW project in waters off Hebei province.
