China has achieved a remarkable milestone by installing the world's largest offshore wind turbine with a capacity of 18 megawatts (MW).

The state-owned Dongfang Electric Corporation accomplished this groundbreaking feat at a coastal test site in Shantou, Guangdong province.

Rotor diameter: 260 meters (853 feet)

Swept area: 53,000 square meters (570,487 square feet), equivalent to 7.4 football fields

Expected annual generation: 72 gigawatt-hours, enough to power 36,000 households

Offshore wind farms are pivotal to China's strategy of achieving a carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. By harnessing the mighty winds, these installations bridge the gap between the energy-intensive eastern and coastal regions and the resource-rich western and northern areas, ensuring a balanced distribution of renewable energy resources

Envision 16,7 MW was the previous leader before the Dongfang 18 MW turbine.

Chinese manufacturers like Mingyang are not resting on their laurels. They are already unveiling plans for even more giant turbines, with a 22MW model in the works for completion between 2024 and 2025. This rapid progression highlights the fierce competition and technological race among Chinese wind turbine makers, a testament to their commitment to developing increasingly significant, giant, and powerful offshore turbines.

Austria has introduced a new "Made in Europe" subsidy bonus to encourage the use of solar panels manufactured within the European Union. This move aims to support the local solar industry and tap into people's desire for energy independence and self-reliance.

The subsidy bonus is a game-changer, aiming to make European-made solar modules more cost-competitive than imported modules from Asia, particularly China. This significant shift levels the playing field for European manufacturers, who have long struggled to compete with the lower prices of imported modules.

Financial Incentives: The subsidy provides additional financial incentives of up to 20% for projects using a minimum proportion of European-made solar components, making them more cost-competitive against imported modules.

Boosting Competitiveness: By reducing the price disadvantage, the policy aims to increase the competitiveness of European solar manufacturers and encourage investments in expanding European production capacities.

Aligning with EU Efforts: The subsidy aligns with broader European Union initiatives to strengthen the continent's solar manufacturing capabilities and reduce reliance on imports.

Supporting Local Industry: It supports job creation and the growth of a robust European solar industry supply chain by incentivizing locally produced components across various sectors.

Secure Supply Chains: The Austrian government believes promoting domestic production will ensure long-term secure supply chains and contribute to achieving renewable energy and climate targets.

In summary, the substantial subsidies (an article which addresses this topic ) and other forms of government support provided to Chinese OEMs make it extremely difficult for non-Chinese firms to compete on a level playing field. The subsidies distort market dynamics and give Chinese companies an artificial cost advantage that foreign competitors can only match with similar levels of government assistance in their home countries.

The winning projects, selected through a competitive bidding process, span Portugal, Spain, Norway, and Finland. They collectively represent a substantial 1.5 gigawatts of electrolyzer capacity and are expected to produce 1.58 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen over the next decade.

These projects aim to supply renewable hydrogen to various sectors, including steel, chemicals, maritime transport, and fertilizer production. By leveraging technologies like alkaline and proton exchange membrane electrolyzers, they seek to decarbonize these industries and contribute to Europe's ambitious climate goals

The projects are not just about producing hydrogen; they are about doing it in innovative and sustainable ways. The subsidies awarded range from €0.37 to €0.48 per kilogram of hydrogen produced, with the lowest bid coming from the Nordic Ren-Gas eNRG Lahti project in Finland at €0.37/kg. These projects will utilize dedicated wind and solar capacity, as well as green ammonia conversion facilities and hydrogen pipelines, to ensure a reliable and sustainable supply of renewable hydrogen.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Vattenfall have hit the jackpot! The joint venture partners have been awarded the permit to develop the gigantic IJmuiden Ver Beta offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.

2 GW offshore wind capacity

50 MWp floating solar farm included

Large-scale green hydrogen production

The project will integrate offshore wind, floating solar, and green hydrogen production - a true multi-renewable powerhouse! A large electrolyzer will be built at the Port of Rotterdam to produce emissions-free hydrogen fuel.

Vattenfall is targeting net zero emissions by 2040 with approved science-based targets. CIP is the world's largest sustainable energy infrastructure investor, driving the circular economy.

IJmuiden Ver Beta and its sister project, IJmuiden Ver Alpha, are expected to be commissioned in 2029, bringing the Netherlands closer to its renewable ambition

In a significant move towards clean energy development, Masdar, the UAE's renewable energy champion, has signed agreements with Azerbaijan for three major solar and wind projects with a combined capacity of 1 gigawatt (GW). This milestone follows the recent inauguration of the 230MW Garadagh Solar Park, Azerbaijan's first foreign investment-based independent solar power project and the most significant operational plant in the region, developed by Masdar.

445MW Bilasuvar Solar PV Project

315MW Neftchala Solar PV Project

240MW Absheron-Garadagh Onshore Wind Project

The agreements were signed during the Baku Energy Week in the presence of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the UAE Minister of Industry and COP28 President, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. Dr Al Jaber emphasised the importance of such partnerships in tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030, a crucial step towards keeping the 1.5°C target within reach, a vital goal of the UAE's COP28 presidency.

The Garadagh Solar Park, co-financed by international agencies, is a pioneering project that will generate enough clean electricity annually for 110,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by over 200,000 tonnes. Azerbaijan's Energy Minister, Parviz Shahbazov, praised the projects as realizing the country's green energy ambitions with Masdar's support.

Winergy has introduced a groundbreaking drivetrain concept called "FlexibleFit" designed to cater to the evolving needs of onshore and offshore wind turbines. This modular and scalable platform combines standardisation with unparalleled flexibility, enabling wind turbine manufacturers to optimize their drivetrain designs for specific project requirements.

At the heart of FlexibleFit lies Winergy's HybridDrive gearbox, a pre-developed solution engineered for various torque ranges and optimized gear ratios. This versatile gearbox serves as the base product, allowing for modularization, standardization, and flexible interfaces, reducing development time and costs while maintaining Winergy's renowned quality standards.

The FlexibleFit concept addresses the industry's shift towards mid-speed generator concepts and the increasing rated power of wind turbines, which is expected to double the nominal torque demand by 2030. Additionally, it accommodates the transition to preloaded tapered roller bearings as the new standard for main bearing units in large modern turbines over 6 MW.

One of the key advantages of FlexibleFit is its ability to offer customers a choice of drivetrain configurations tailored to their specific wind turbine needs and operating environments.

By combining modularization, standardization, and flexible interfaces, Winergy empowers wind turbine manufacturers to optimize their drivetrain designs, ensuring maximum efficiency and performance.

Integrates three-stage planetary gearbox directly coupled to generator

Each component (gearbox and generator) has 98% efficiency

Results in overall system efficiency exceeding 96.5%

Over 50% shorter than conventional drivetrains

Compact layout reduces drivetrain losses

Improves overall efficiency

Innovative oil-cooled permanent magnet generator (PMG)

Offers superior power and torque density

Enhances generator efficiency and reliability

Torque densities exceeding 200 Nm/kg

5% annual increase in torque density envisioned

Enables more compact and efficient drivetrain design