China to enter "wind power era" before 2010, expert says

BEIJING, Sept 19, 2007 -- Xinhua

China will enter an era in which wind power will be fully developed by 2010, an expert said on Wednesday.

He Dexin, president of the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA), said the gross installed power-generating capacity would reach 5,000 megawatts by the end of 2010, ahead of schedule.

He made the statement at the "Solar World Congress 2007" which opened here Tuesday with nearly 1,000 experts from more than 60 countries present.

He laid out a road map for the country's wind power development:

-- After 2010, China will independently design and manufacture a wind turbine generator system.

-- The country's wind power-generating capacity will reach 30,000 megawatts before 2020, and will head towards a 50,000-megawatt goal.

-- The cost of wind power will be close to that of traditional power generating methods at the time.

-- The capacity will reach 100,000 megawatts in 2030 when wind power will be extensively applied in various industries.

Statistics from the CWEA show China had 91 wind farms with a total installed capacity of 2,599 megawatts at the end of 2006.

Shi Dinghuan, president of the Chinese Renewable Energy Society, said at the congress on Tuesday that renewable energy may contribute 30 percent of China's total energy supply by 2050.

News Provided By