General Electric Co. is betting that its next-gen offshore wind turbine—a giant at 12 MW, 260 meters high and with 107-m blades—will make offshore wind power more competitive and position the firm to win a fair share of the burgeoning energy market. “We are on schedule to install the biggest and most powerful wind turbine in the world,” says Vincent Schellings, chief technology officer for GE’s renewable energy offshore wind unit.
GE hopes to grab a large share of what is seen as an offshore wind market between eight and 20 or more gigawatts in the U.S. by 2030. “We are optimistic about the potential … in the U.S.,” a GE spokesman says. It also is pursuing a “significant market” in the U.K., which could reach 30 GW by 2030, and in China, which could have 100-GW potential by then. A 6-MW Haliade demonstration project installed in China last year now is being tested, says the spokesman.