That head-to-head led to a schism among designers working on the next generation of ultra-large turbines.

Now, groundbreaking hydraulic-based systems — which streamline drivetrain architecture by doing away with the gearbox, frequency converter and transformer — are gaining ground.

Mitsubishi is trialling a prototype of a pioneering “digital-displacement” version to power its 7MW SeaAngel offshore turbine.

The Japanese heavyweight is not alone in believing that hydraulic transmissions — long a favourite of car makers and manufacturers of gargantuan industrial machinery — will take a large slice of the future market for drivetrains in 7-15MW turbines.

Norway’s