As the pioneer for wind power worldwide, Denmark currently houses the world’s first wind turbine Tvindkraft, which has been in operation for 41 years and counting. Its lifespan is a lot higher than the standard lifespan of wind turbines, which is usually around 25 years.
Tvindkraft first broke ground in May 1975 and started to operate in March 1978.
The wind turbine has an overall capacity of 1 MW, and stands at around 53 meters, with a diameter of approximately 54 meters. The maximum revolution speed of the wind turbine is 21 rounds a minute, which is capable of generating 900 KW of power, with an annual power output topping 500,000 KWh.
As of the end of 2014, Tvindkraft has been in operation for over 150,540 hours, with the accumulated power output topping 20 million KWh so far.
Compared to the Danish wind turbine, the world’s largest wind turbine now, which was produced by GE, stands at 260 meters, and features a capacity of 12 MW. It consists of three blades that are 107 meters long, with a diameter reaching 220 meters and an annual power output topping 67 GWh (1 GWh=1M KWh).
Denmark is currently known to be the leader in wind energy. It produces one out of every two wind turbines worldwide, with the leading manufacturers being CIP and Vestas. Wind power now supplies up to 43% of the country’s power needs, which will rise to 50% by 2020, according to the government’s plan.
(Collaborative media: TechNews, first photo courtesy of Tvindkraft)
