The Prospect of Wind Power in China
There is one fact that you may not know: China is the world's fastest growing wind energy (wind power) market.
An amazoning factor is: China consumes 10% of the world's total energy (power). 70 per cent of its primary energy consumption was coal. This is 40% higher than the world average.
The SO2 pollution caused by coal burning accounted for 70% to 80% of the total emission amount. Furthermore, the acid rain triggered by SO2 covers 1/3 of the entire area of China.
The quality of the environment in China is continuously deteriorating. By the end of 2020 the environmental and health losses of China caused by air pollution will reach 13% of the total GDP value. Therefore, the development of clean energy (green energy, alternative energy) has become the inevitable choice of China’s energy strategy. In fact the Chinese government has annouced a lot of policies about clean energy (green energy, alternative energy, renewable energy) and will plan to stimulate the development of clean energy. These include laws about green energy, subsidies for clean energy. For example, China Solar Subsidies -- “Golden Sun” subsidies , Carrot for solar power development offered by China government .
Wind power (wind energy), compared with conventional energy, is sustainable and is a form of clean energy (green power). Generating power from the wind does not require the burning of fossil fuels; hence, there is no risk of a fuel price rise.
Additionally, there are no environmental costs, such as carbon emissions.
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Therefore, China has chosen wind power as an important alternative power (green power) source in order to rebalance the energy mix, combat global warming and ensure energy security. Supportive measures have been introduced to encourage technical innovation, market expansion and commercialization, with development targets established for 2010 and 2020, concession projects offered and policies introduced to encourage change in domestic production.
Consequently, China's wind power (wind energy) industry has achieved a significant degree of development in recent years. With 100% growth rate in two consecutive years and 3,450 MW installed capacity in 2007, only second to the US and Spain. All these demonstrate how China has become one of the fastest growing wind power markets in the world.
According to the Middle and Long Term Program of Renewable Energy Development enacted by the Chinese Government in August 2007, the target for total wind installation capacity by the end of 2010 is 5,000 MW. Now China ranks fifth in the world for its installed wind energy capacity with over 6,000 MW at the end of 2007, 20% more capacity than in the set target for 2010.
During the Eleventh Five-Year Plan of China, an estimated 5,000 MW capacity will be installed between 2007 and 2010; with the actual installed capacity for year 2010 reaching 10,000 MW, by that time the substitution effect of wind power will be remarkable.
Over the next decade, with decreasing fossil fuel resource and higher generation costs, wind energy (wind power) will become a highly competitive energy source worldwide.
Technology, the maturity of the market, and global reach will essentially be the driving factors to achieve massive cuts in the power sector emissions in the near future. Throughout China's vast land mass and long coastline, there is a rich resource of wind energy with great development potential. Only if China could maintain the current growth rate in the consumption of wind energy, China is expected to overtake Germany and the US as the leader of wind energy capacity and consumption by the end of 2020.
