wind energy

Wind: an important source of power in China

While wind power in China currently accounts for only 1.3% of total power output – compared with coal-fired power at 75% – but just three years ago wind power accounted for one thousandth of total power production in China.

At that staggering pace of development, the contribution of wind to total capacity will continue to increase, as the domestic wind industry matures and the cost per kW decreases. At the same time, the restructuring of the power industry will result in a more sustainable mix of power sources in the future.

China’s wind energy potential is enormous. Chinese sources estimate that exploitable ‘wind resources’ that are available on land in China may be as high as 600–1000 GW, and that close-in offshore exploitable wind power potential accounts for another 700 GW.

Since the Renewable Energy Law took effect on 1 January, 2006, China’s installed wind capacity has increased from 2300 MW at the end of 2005, in excess of 3200 MW at the end of 2006, to 5900 MW at the end of 2007 when China had built more than 100 wind farms in 22 provinces and cities. As of mid-2008 the country had installed more than 7000 MW of wind capacity and, according to the latest available figures, was on track to reach the symbolically important milestone of 10 GW by the end of the year – two years ahead of the revised goal.

By 2010 cumulative installed wind capacity may reach 15–20 GW and after 2011 China is expected to be adding new capacity at the rate of 7–10 GW per year. Analysts currently predict that China’s base of wind power installations will total 50–60 GW by 2015, and that by 2020 it will account for 80–100 GW. The goal for 2020 was revised upward four-fold from the 30 GW goal set by the Mid to Long-Term Development Plan for Renewable Energy, promulgated by Beijing in September 2007 (See Figure 1, below, which shows actual and revised projects for wind installations in China in MW).