The largest wind turbine ever built of LEGOs, and the technicians who built it. Images courtesy of LEGO.
Green Energy Times staff article
On May 18 and 19, we learned that the Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farm, off the coast of England near Liverpool, had been completed and grid-tied. This is historic for two reasons.
It is the first use of the Vestas V164 8.0 megawatt wind turbines. These turbines are the largest ever installed for commercial use. They are 720 feet tall, and the rotor diameter is 538 feet. A prototype set a record when it ran for a complete day at full power, producing 192 megawatt hours of electricity.
The other historic event associated with Burbo Bank Extension results from the fact that it is 25% owned by Lego, the Danish toy company. With its opening, Lego is 100% powered by renewable sources, according to the company. By doing this, Lego has met an environmental goal of getting all of its electricity from renewable sources. That goal, which was announced in June of 2014, was reached three years ahead of schedule.
Lego has not stopped adding renewable resources, now that its goal has been met. On November 28, 2016, we learned that Lego’s new huge factory in China, where 1200 people work, is to be powered entirely by solar power. Even having met its 100% renewable goal, however, it is still putting up solar arrays in China.
Lego is also still pursuing some environmental goals that are not directly related to energy. Since June of 2014, the company has been researching sustainable and environmentally sound replacements for the plastics it has used in its toys.
A closeup of the Nacelle where you can see the Lego pieces
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