Germany-headquartered electronics giant Siemens has unveiled a 6MW wind turbine for the offshore market.
The modules come with rotor diameters of 120 metres and 154 metres, and feature the company's direct drive technology which Siemens' claims has 50 per cent fewer parts than competing designs.
The first prototype of the turbine design was installed in Denmark last May and the company said it is currently assessing performance.
Henrik Stiesdal, chief technology officer of Siemens Wind Power, said, 'Our new 6MW offshore wind turbine incorporates the aggregate engineering know-how gained through the last three decades. We expect the SWT-6.0 turbine to become the new standard for offshore wind power projects around the globe. With its smart design and low weight, the SWT-6.0 will contribute significantly to the reduction of the cost of energy for offshore wind power.'
The design may not be the largest on the market for long as Danish developer Vestas is working towards a prototype 7MW system and chose a site to build nacelles for the product earlier this month. Japanese electronics company Mitsubishi has also unveiled that it is working on a design that will have a minimum capacity of 7MW.