Doesn’t it seem fitting that Vestas Wind Systems, the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines, should be the maker of the world’s largest wind turbine?  Well, they’re not - at least not yet. Today, Vestas revealed plans (pdf) for a new research and development center on the Isle of Wight (UK) that will test what company officials are calling “the world’s longest turbine” blades.

While Vestas did not say exactly how long the new prototype turbine blade will be, their largest turbine currently in production, the V-90, has blades that measure 44 meters in length. The largest wind turbine currently in operation is the 6MW Enercon E-126, which has a rotor diameter of 126 meters (413 ft).

The new development center will accompany an existing Vestas plant on the Isle of Wight that has produced turbine blades since 2000. The new facility is expected to become operational in 2010.

Vestas‘ second quarter net profit rose 27% to 65 million euros ($96 million) as revenue rose 2.5% to 1.09 billion euros.

Other Posts on the Wind Energy Industry:

• A Big Week for Vestas Wind Systems
• World’s Largest Wind Farm Planned for Oregon
  
• Vestas to Create 1,350 Jobs at New Wind Turbine Plant in Colorado

Photo: Hurst