Vestas has produced the first prototype 80-metre long blade for the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine
The blade which was constructed at their R&D centre on the Isle of Wight will now undergo an extensive testing regime to ensure total reliability. The 80-metre blade is the longest ever produced by Vestas and uses the structural shell design, a proven concept in which loads of the blade are carried in the shell, rather than using a spar at the centre of the blade.
The length of the blade is the equivalent of nine double-decker London buses and the swept area of the rotor will be 21,124m2, larger than the London Eye. In order to validate the strength and reliability of the blade, it will be tested to its limits for six months, reproducing the challenging wind conditions of the North Sea over a simulated 25 year lifetime.
