Hitachi has announced that it has decided to install a 5MW prototype of a offshore wind turbine off the coast of Kamisu in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
The company said that it will begin the installation of its HTW5.0-126 offshore wind turbine by the end of 2013. It is planned to start operating by the end of the first half of 2014.
The HTW5.0-126 is a downwind turbine with a rotor diameter of 126 meters. It combines a medium-speed gearbox and a permanent magnet synchronous generator. Hitachi said that the system will be developed for floating foundations, as it is currently attached to fixed ones.
After the demonstration stage, the turbine is planned to be on sale from 2015.
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Offshore WIND Staff, November 26, 2013; Image: Hitachi