Vestas V112 uses less power

A full page ad from Vestas in the March North American Windpower (below, or the part that fit in my scanner) boasts that its 3-MW V112 wind turbine "uses less power", that it has a "unique system that uses the wind's own energy to cool the nacelle and reduce power consumption".

This is interesting because the industry and its apologists have long insisted that power consumption by large wind turbines (which can not operate without power from the grid) is insignificant.

But if it is insignificant, then the energy savings of the Vestas "Cooler Top" design would be insignificant. Yet they devoted a full-page ad to promote it.

Which clearly suggests that energy consumption by wind turbines is indeed substantial.

Update:  The new design may not work so well to prevent overheating, as a model in Germany was destroyed by fire of "undetermined" cause.

wind power, wind energy, wind turbines