Adani New Industries Ltd. has installed a wind turbine at Mundra in Gujarat as part of its expansion plans for renewable energy that is taller than the Statue of Unity and has blades that are wider than the wingspan of a jumbo jet. According to a company statement, “Adani New Industries Limited (ANIL) on Thursday announced the installation of the largest wind turbine generator (WTG) in the nation in Mundra, Gujarat.”
Mundra Windtech Ltd. (MWL), an Adani Enterprises Ltd. wholly-owned subsidiary, installed the turbine (AEL).
This prototype is also Adani New Industries Ltd.’s (ANIL) first addition to its portfolio and has paved the way for the installation of even larger wind turbine generators,
according to the company.
Milind Kulkarni, Chief Operating Officer (COO), MWL, said, “The proto assembly was completed in a record of 19 days. It is installed, commissioned, and we shall soon go for a type certification now.”
“This prototype has laid a foundation stone for us to go for another prototype which shall be even taller than the 140 m hub height. Going forward, we shall manufacture our own blades, while we have already started the assembly of Nacelle, and Hub in our own upcoming facility in Mundra,” he added.
Capability to provide lights to over 4000 homes
The wind turbine, which stands 200 metres tall, can produce 5.2 MW of electricity and power approximately 4,000 homes. It is taller than the Statue of Unity (182 metres), according to the company.
Its blades are larger than the wingspan of a jumbo jet, making it the longest in the country at 78 metres.
It is the most powerful wind turbine in the world, with a rotor diameter of 160 metres. The wind turbine generator’s hub height is 120 metres, which is about the height of a 40-story building.
Wind turbines have seen a surge in popularity in recent years. Turbines with capacities greater than 4 MW are typically associated with offshore installation, where machines as large as 14 MW have been installed.
However, a 5.2 MW onshore turbine is unusual, and certainly not seen in India. This machine is a first, and it was built using W2E (Wind to Energy) technology from Germany, according to the company.
It can operate at wind speeds as low as 3 metres per second (mps) and as high as 20 mps, with an optimum power output at around 12 mps.
Dennis Schultz, plant head of Blade Production Unit at MWL, said, “We have partnered with two European leaders in technology advancements — WINDnovation for rotor blade designs and W2E. With research, design, and its manufacturing expertise, MWL has been successful in bringing the prototype wind turbine from concept to a tested and proven reality and has paved way for a clean and even green future.”
Only a couple of years ago, the maximum capacity for a single wind turbine in India was 2-3 MW, it stated.
