It was almost a year ago that we told you about Enercon's previous absolutely-massive, largest-in-the-world wind turbine, the E-112. Well now Enercon's outdone itself once again with a 126 meter diameter wind turbine called (of course) the E-126.
Holy frikkin' crap! Not only is it larger than the E-112, it contains a slew of innovations that increase the efficiency of the conversion from motion to electrical energy. As a result, the turbine might produce as much as seven megawatts of electricity. Yes, that is a whole megawatt larger than the E-112. And, yes, it's enough power to fuel more than 5,000 European homes.
Two of the massive turbines were recently installed in Emden, Germany, and are officially being listed as prototypes. As of yet, no full farms are using the turbine, but with a power rating like that, they can't be far off. The advantages of the E-126 over the E-112 include easier transportation and installation due to modular design and light-weight materials. New complex blade designs that decrease resistance of the tower and increase capture of wind energy and an extra 11 meters in height, that push it just that much further into the faster, more constant higher winds.
You can read more about it in Enercon's yearly report (PDF.) I've also searched far and wide for the best and finest pictures of this rather impressive feat, and you can find those after the jump.
Spotted at MetaEfficient
Yes...there are little tiny men in there...if you look close enough, you can see them.
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