No Don Quixote in sight: Virginia builds massive wind turbine
Richmond partner John Daniel’s involvement with Spanish wind giant Gamesa Energy winning Virginia state approval to construct a 479-foot wind turbine prototype off of the state’s eastern shore drew press in a March 28 Richmond Times-Dispatch article.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission unanimously approved the 5-megawatt wind turbine in the lower Chesapeake Bay about 3 miles off the town of Cape Charles on March 27. The project, which still needs the backing of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a review by the Coast Guard, is the first publicly announced product to emerge from a partnership between Gamesa and Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding.
The prototype is larger than most offshore turbines, and the Virginia test unit is intended to ensure it can withstand extreme open Atlantic weather conditions, said Daniel, who represents Gamesa Energy USA, the company’s American division.