EGEB: China debuts 385 mph prototype magnetic levitation train

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

• A high-speed prototype maglev train has debuted in China – and it’s clean energy transport.
• New Jersey’s Ocean Wind offshore wind farm will feature GE’s huge Haliade-X 12MW wind turbines.
• UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

China’s latest high-speed maglev train

Researchers at China’s Southwest Jiaotong University unveiled the new 69-foot (21-meter) prototype maglev (magnetic levitation) train and 540 feet (165-meter) test track in Chengdu on January 13. The prototype train can run up to 385 mph (620 km/h). The developers hope to eventually boost its speed to 497 mph (800km/h).

That means it could transport passengers between Beijing and Shanghai in just three and a half hours. It takes around two hours nonstop to fly the same journey in an airplane.

A maglev train uses one set of magnets to repel and push the train up off the track, and another set of magnets to move the elevated train ahead. It makes it look as if the train is floating. It doesn’t create direct emissions and is much quieter than regular trains. China, South Korea, and Japan use maglev trains.

The prototype train runs on high-temperature superconducting power. The South China Morning Post explains:

Superconductivity occurs where electrical resistance approaches zero when cooled to a very low temperature. The superconducting state would be key to support faster and more efficient maglev vehicles.

The train could be operational within three to 10 years.

Check out this video that showcases the new prototype and what could be coming down the pipeline for emissions-free, high-speed train travel in China:

Haliade-X turbines for New Jersey

Ocean Wind, a 1.1 gigawatt offshore wind farm that Danish wind powerhouse Ørsted is developing about 15 miles (24 kilometers) off the coast of southern New Jersey, will use GE Renewable Energy’s powerful Haliade-X offshore wind turbines.

The contracts cover the GE Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbine with an option for Ocean Wind to use the 13 MW variant.

GE will provide the world’s most powerful wind turbines, the 14 MW Haliade-X turbines, for the first time to Dogger Bank, off England’s northeast coast, as Electrek reported on December 18.

Ocean Wind could first provide power in late 2024. The state of New Jersey is investing in a $250 million manufacturing facility to build steel components, known as monopiles, for offshore wind turbines. It will serve the entire US offshore wind industry.

John Lavelle, president & CEO of Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy, said:

The New Jersey Wind Port will be a great resource for the offshore wind industry, including GE Renewable Energy, to use in maximizing the environmental and economic development benefits that offshore wind can bring to the state and the nation. We look forward to tapping into New Jersey’s qualified workforce to help install and service these state-of-the art turbines in a safe and efficient manner.

Photo: CRRC