China's installed wind capacity reaches 15.85 GW

China Wind Power Capacity is rising fast, from 1.26 GW in 2005 to 15.85 GW, boosting renewable energy, on-grid electricity, and wind turbines, while grid integration and manufacturing overcapacity challenge energy policy.

In the first three quarters of this year, 93 wind power projects with an installed capacity of 5,590 megawatts (MW) were commissioned in 19 key wind power regions in China, according to a preliminary statistical report.

So far, China's total installed wind power capacity has reached about 15.85 gigawatts (GW), underscoring its highest wind capacity among major economies, according to a wind power symposium held by the National Energy Administration (NEA) on October 22.

Wind power has grown quickly in China, with 3,304 MW of new capacity added in a recent period. In 2005, China's installed capacity of wind power reached 1.26 GW. As of the end of 2008, capacity reached about 12.17 GW, ranking fourth in the world, and the total on-grid electricity generated from wind power reached 14.8 billion kilowatt-hours. The installed capacity of wind power is expected to reach 300 GW in 2010, already achieving the target originally set for 2020.

According to the planning, China's installed capacity of wind power is expected to reach about 1,000 GW in 2020, reflecting an increase five-fold from earlier targets.

"Wind power development has become a necessity in international economic and energy development, as wind power plays a larger role in China, and also a necessity for China's emerging strategic industry," said Zhang Guobao, vice director of the National Development and Reform Commission and director of the NEA, at the symposium.

However, following the swift development of wind power in China, problems such as the difficulty in grid integration and blind expansion in wind power manufacture capacity have gradually shown up.

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