By Athanasia Arapogianni, Research Officer, EWEA

Offshore wind energy is where the newest and biggest turbines are. Right now we’re at 5 MW, but soon 10 MW turbines could become the norm at sea, or even more powerful. I’m really looking forward to the ‘new big turbine concepts’ session at OFFSHORE 2011 which I’ll co-chair with Jan van der Tempel from TU Delft. Our session is designed to be a nail-biting contest: six turbine manufacturers will give short pitches on why their new turbine design is the best.

Vestas will argue for bigger turbines, Gamesa are expected to explore lighter turbine concepts, while Alstom are looking into magnets. Siemens will highlight the benefits of direct drive offshore turbines and Nordex will fight their corner for greater efficiency.

Contestants’ pitches will be questioned by an expert panel including developers, scientists, designers and certifiers and the audience will be invited to vote for the most promising turbine. The floor will then be thrown open to questions from the experts and the audience. After that, no doubt heated discussion, the audience will be given a chance to vote again: will the winner change after the questions session?

Come and join us to witness the battle of the manufacturers at OFFSHORE 2011. See you there! Read more after next Wednesday….