Vestas Wind Systems, the Italian division, has just received an order for 27 units of its 850kW V52 wind turbine which will be deployed at the Castel di Lucio wind farm located near Messina in Sicily. The contract includes the supply, installation, and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a five-year service and availability agreement.

Here is a picture of a V52 in action.

The prevailing view a few years ago was that wind turbines would get bigger and bigger - each time you double the size of the windswept area, your receive an eight-fold increase in power. Commercially though for the time being as far as size is concerned, we've been stuck at 5 MW turbines and no one is buying them much.

So why is the Vestas V52 still popular?

According the Vestas website, "... the V52-850 kW, is extremely reliable, and well suited to sites with restricted access or complex terrain. Compact dimensions make the V52 easy to transport and install".