Adwen and LM Wind Power have presented an 88.4-metre blade, specifically designed for Adwen’s AD 8-180 wind turbine model.
The first of the longest blades in the world has just been manufactured at LM Wind Power’s factory in Lunderskov, Denmark, and will be transported to a facility in Aalborg in the following days, where it will commence testing as part of Adwen’s product validation plan.
“We are going where no one else has ever gone before, pushing all the known frontiers in the industry. Having developed and integrated together with LM Wind Power the first unit of the longest blade ever and being able to start testing is a key step forward in the development of our AD 8-180 and proves that Adwen is at the forefront of the industry,” said Luis Álvarez , Adwen General Manager.
According to the two companies, the 88.4 meters length of the blades is the best compromise between swept area, energy production, and the weight as well as the loads transferred to the wind turbine – a combination that provides the optimum balance of plant costs and contributes to lowering Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) in the industry.
LM Wind Power’s CEO, Marc de Jong said: “The LM 88.4 P blade is an extraordinary example of industrialized innovation at record breaking scale. It is based on innovation building blocks, rooted in 35 years of real life experience, in the design, technology and manufacturing of ultra-long, reliable blades. This blade is a strong proof point of the shared ambition of Adwen and LM Wind Power to bring forward best in class and proven rotor solutions for offshore application, increasing Annual Energy output through efficient and reliable technology.”
In addition. the blade design has been conceived with scalability in mind to enable the further development of Adwen’s 8 MW platform.