Government aims for 100 GW of wind power by 2020
China supports wind power through ‘concession’ projects and preferential tariff
China gets the vast majority of its electricity from coal burned in hundreds of polluting power stations. At the same time, a fast expanding economy and the expectation of higher living standards are forcing up demand at a rapid rate.
These twin pressures have turned the Chinese government towards new sources of renewable energy which do not add to its pollution burden. The current target is for 15% of all energy to come from renewables by 2020.
Wind power has proved one of the most attractive options. Many of China’s provinces, especially in the north and along the coast, have an excellent wind regime and abundant open spaces. Providing the equipment for wind farms has also presented the country’s highly productive engineering companies with a new outlet for their skills, and over 70% of all new wind turbines installed in China are now produced by domestic manufacturers.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission has encouraged wind power through an obligation on power companies to source an increasing proportion of their electricity from renewable sources. Although not confirmed as an ‘official’ target, the government also aims to reach 100 GW of installed capacity by 2020.
Wind farm developers have been able to bid for a series of state-sponsored ‘concession’ projects, each of which has the potential for upwards of 50 MW of wind power capacity. The successful bidders receive a premium price for the electricity generated by their turbines. In addition, many smaller projects have been approved at provincial level, often with more attractive tariffs.
The government is also now introducing a ‘feed-in tariff’ like those operating in many European countries. This guarantees a fixed price for electricity from all wind farm projects, depending on their location.
Most recently, a series of very large Wind Power Bases has been planned, each with a capacity of 10 GW. These vast arrays will help China to push towards its 2020 target, cementing its position as a world leader in wind power production and manufacture.
China gets the vast majority of its electricity from coal burned in hundreds of polluting power stations. At the same time, a fast expanding economy and the expectation of higher living standards are forcing up demand at a rapid rate.
These twin pressures have turned the Chinese government towards new sources of renewable energy which do not add to its pollution burden. The current target is for 15% of all energy to come from renewables by 2020.
Wind power has proved one of the most attractive options. Many of China’s provinces, especially in the north and along the coast, have an excellent wind regime and abundant open spaces. Providing the equipment for wind farms has also presented the country’s highly productive engineering companies with a new outlet for their skills, and over 70% of all new wind turbines installed in China are now produced by domestic manufacturers.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission has encouraged wind power through an obligation on power companies to source an increasing proportion of their electricity from renewable sources. Although not confirmed as an ‘official’ target, the government also aims to reach 100 GW of installed capacity by 2020.
Wind farm developers have been able to bid for a series of state-sponsored ‘concession’ projects, each of which has the potential for upwards of 50 MW of wind power capacity. The successful bidders receive a premium price for the electricity generated by their turbines. In addition, many smaller projects have been approved at provincial level, often with more attractive tariffs.
The government is also now introducing a ‘feed-in tariff’ like those operating in many European countries. This guarantees a fixed price for electricity from all wind farm projects, depending on their location.
Most recently, a series of very large Wind Power Bases has been planned, each with a capacity of 10 GW. These vast arrays will help China to push towards its 2020 target, cementing its position as a world leader in wind power production and manufacture.
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