Legendary Journey! A Century of Development of Vestas, the Danish Wind Power Giant

Industry competition is intensifying, yet Vestas engineers meet the challenge with new innovations—once again securing Vestas’ position at the forefront. The V44 turbine generates 600 kW of electricity and employs OptiTip® to minimize stress on the blades. But the true breakthrough is OptiSlip®, which ensures the V44 delivers uniform power output to the grid—a world first for wind power. 1995: Going Global Vestas constructed the offshore wind farm ‘Tunoe Knob’ in Denmark—one of the earliest offshore wind farms ever built. Though water was a new domain for Vestas, they successfully installed 10 turbines in just five days. Each turbine featured 20-meter-long blades capable of generating 500 kW of electricity. 1997: The World’s Best Wind Turbine Technological advancement behind Vestas accelerated faster than ever before, keeping the company firmly at the industry’s cutting edge. The V66 turbine became the best-selling commercial wind turbine worldwide to date, with a capacity of 1.65 MW. Its 32-meter-long blades generate enough electricity to supply approximately 1,000 households. 1998: Stock Exchange Listing Vestas listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, using the raised capital to fuel growth. Vestas accounted for 22.1% of global wind power capacity (measured in installed megawatts), establishing itself as the industry leader. 1999–2004: New Technologies Bring the Wind into the Blades Vestas merged with NEG Micon, becoming the undisputed world leader in modern wind energy. Manufacturing wind turbines represented only part of Vestas’ offerings; transportation and installation posed equally formidable challenges—transporting a single turbine required 10 specially designed trucks. 1999: New Models Enhance Energy Efficiency To meet surging market demand, Vestas launched the V80-2.0 MW turbine, equipped with the OptiSpeed® system—specifically developed for low-wind-speed regions. The V80-2.0 MW remains part of Vestas’ product portfolio to this day. 2000: The Largest Order to Date Vestas secured the largest wind turbine order in global history: supplying 1,800 units to Spanish energy giant Gamesa Eólica S.A. In November, Vestas offered shares to its employees; over 80% of eligible employees accepted the offer. 2001: The World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Vestas was selected for the North Sea’s first large-scale offshore wind farm—the Danish Horns Reef project. The 80 turbines will supply electricity to approximately 150,000 Danish households. That spring, Vestas also signed its first contracts in Costa Rica and Iran. Several new markets—including France, Portugal, and Poland—showed promising signs of growth. 2002: Troubles at Sea Vestas installed all 80 turbines at Horns Reef—completing the final unit 11 days ahead of schedule. Yet none operated properly; all 80 nacelles had to be returned for repairs.

Today’s Energy News: Shandong Province: Total Installed Power Generation Capacity Reaches 180 Million kW by End of 2022!

According to China Railway Taiyuan Group Co., Ltd., during Q1 2022, the Daqin Railway transported a cumulative total of 104 million tons of coal, maintaining consistently high daily transport volumes. Notably, in March, daily transport volume exceeded 1.3 million tons for 19 days; the month’s total coal transport reached 38.87 million tons—an 8% year-on-year increase and a 14.7% sequential increase—effectively ensuring coal supply for power generation. Corporate News 1. Trina Solar’s Q1 Net Profit Forecast to Rise 117.19%–160.63% Year-on-Year On April 6, Trina Solar announced that its projected Q1 net profit would range between RMB 500 million and RMB 600 million, representing an increase of RMB 269.79 million to RMB 369.79 million compared to the same period last year (based on statutory disclosure data), or a year-on-year growth of 117.19% to 160.63%. 2. Dual-Source Energy Saving Plans RMB 5-Billion Investment in Baotou for 20 GW High-Efficiency PV Module Plant On April 6, Dual-Source Energy Saving announced plans to sign a cooperation framework agreement with the Baotou Rare Earth Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee for its ‘Dual-Source Energy Saving Systems Co., Ltd. Baotou 20 GW High-Efficiency PV Module Project’. The project entails a RMB 5-billion investment in Baotou Rare Earth Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone to build a 20 GW high-efficiency photovoltaic module facility, to be implemented in phases. Phase I—covering 5 GW of module capacity—has a two-year construction period and is currently in its initial stage (subsequent 15 GW capacity expansion will proceed gradually after Phase I commences, depending on market conditions). 3. China Three Gorges Renewables’ Q1 Solar Power Generation Reaches 2.963 Billion kWh On April 6, China Three Gorges Renewables reported that its total power generation in Q1 2022 amounted to 11.631 billion kWh, up 46.58% year-on-year. Specifically, wind power generation totaled 8.567 billion kWh (up 47.99% YoY); solar power generation reached 2.963 billion kWh (up 44.18% YoY); and hydropower generation stood at 101 million kWh (up 10.99% YoY). 4. Sinopec’s Upstream Division Installs Its First Onshore Wind Turbine at Jiangsu Oilfield Sinopec’s upstream division has installed its first onshore wind turbine at Jiangsu Oilfield, with a rated capacity of 2.5 MW. Annual power generation is expected to reach 6.3 million kWh, saving approximately RMB 3.7 million in electricity costs annually. International Headlines 1. UK to Establish New Entity to Manage Future Energy System On April 6 local time, the UK government’s official website released a statement announcing the establishment of a new public system operator to assume certain responsibilities from National Grid plc (NG.L), supporting the country’s net-zero emissions goals. 2. 7.2 MW! Vestas Unveils World’s Largest Onshore Wind Turbine On April 5, Vestas officially launched the V172-7.2 MW turbine—the latest model based on its advanced modular EnVentus platform, optimized for improved performance in medium-to-low wind-speed conditions. Vestas also announced upgrading the existing medium-to-high wind-speed EnVentus V162-6.8 MW model to a 7.2 MW nameplate rating. 3. Vietnam’s First Rooftop Solar PPA Signed Domestically Recently, South Korea’s Hwaseung Enterprise signed an agreement with UK-based Shire Oak International to install rooftop photovoltaic panels across four Vietnamese factories owned by Hwaseung Vina, purchasing 18 GWh of electricity annually.

Vestas to Launch Onshore Wind Turbine Designed for Lower Wind Speeds

12 hours ago

Vestas plans to launch its new V182-7.2 MW onshore turbine in 2028, featuring a larger rotor to optimize power generation during low wind speeds and higher electricity price periods.

reuters

2026-09-21

Vestas to Launch Onshore Wind Turbine Designed for Lower Wind Speeds

Vestas to Launch Onshore Wind Turbine Designed for Lower Wind Speeds

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