Off the coast of southern China, a giant, double-headed turbine rises out from among its conventional counterparts, held up by a spiderweb of steel cables and tethered to the seabed below via three bright-yellow mooring points.
The OceanX design pushes the boundaries of engineering, able to harness more wind power than any other floating turbine operating in the world today. It’s also an eloquent symbol of the ambitions of Chinese green technology companies, securing their dominance of yet another clean-energy industry as stalwarts in Europe, the U.S. and Japan run up against political and economic setbacks.
China, whose reliance on imports means energy security is always front of mind, has led the world when it comes to using renewable electricity sources — that includes expansive solar farms in western deserts but also rows of turbines built at sea, where they can access reliable and stronger air currents. This year, it will install nearly three out of every four of the world’s new offshore turbines.
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