Photo Credit: Vestas Vestas (Aarhus, Denmark) continues on its path toward offshore wind innovation with the introduction of the V236-15.0-megawatt (MW) turbine. With the industry’s largest swept area exceeding 43,000 square meters and a capacity factor of over 60%, the new technology will reportedly establish a strong foundation for Vestas’ offshore leadership journey by elevating the industry benchmark for performance and continued cost reduction. The new turbine’s 15-MW reach also matches the potential capacity of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA (SGRE, Zamudio, Spain) wind turbines, and surpasses General Electric Co’s (Boston, Mass., U.S.) Haliade-X machine, which retains a capacity of 14 MW. Each blade on the V236-15.0 MW measures 115.5 meters (379 feet) long, giving it a total height of 261 meters, a blade reportedly longer than the 108-meter-long blades on Siemens Gamesa’s SG 14-222 DD direct drive turbine, which previously held the record. Vestas says each turbine could generate enough power for 20,000 households a year, improve wind energy production to around 80 gigwatt-hours per year and save more than 38,000 tonnes of CO