http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-05/28/content_12598392.htm
China surpassed the United States to become the world's largest producer of wind power at the end of 2010. However, China's wind power industry has been troubled with growing pains.
The State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and the Inner Mongolia Grid, an independent provincial power grid, have ensured that all of the wind turbines connected to their power grids are government-approved. However, they cannot allow all of these turbines to operate simultaneously.
One reason for this is the fluctuating nature of wind power.
Some industry officials believe that wind power may pose a serious threat to power grid stability, saying that wind power should account for less than 5 to 10 percent of any given power grid's total power. However, on April 8, 2010, wind power accounted for 18.7 percent of the Inner Mongolia Grid's total power without any negative repercussions.
A great deal of wind power is wasted during the winter season, when thermal power generators are used to supply heat for most of Inner Mongolia's residents.
The Inner Mongolia Grid prefers to use thermal power generators because they can generate electric power while simultaneously creating steam, which can be used to heat homes and businesses in the region.
Tao Ming, director of the Siziwang Banner wind power office, says "during the winter, the grid gives priority to generating power with thermal power generators. Inner Mongolia has relatively low demands for electric power because of its underdeveloped industries. Thermal power plants can work at full steam, while wind turbines have to remain idle."
Northwest China's Gansu Province has not fared much better.
Only 68 percent of the province's turbines, which are connected to a wind power base in the city of Jiuquan, are continuously generating power, according to the Jiuquan municipal energy bureau.
According to a February report by the China Electricity Council (CEC), about one-third of China's wind turbines are idle, a sign that China's wind power industry has some serious problems to solve.
Wang Bingjun, director of the Inner Mongolia Energy Bureau, says "the Inner Mongolia Grid has reached its upper limit in accepting wind power for local consumption. The only solution is to send out wind power over long distances and integrate it into the much larger State Grid."
This, however, is easier said than done.
Longyuan says the wind farm may run for nearly 2,000 hours a year, compared with 2,600-2,800 hours in the northern areas. But Lai'an sits near the terminal users of the East China Grid, which will ensure wind turbines run at full capacity.
Longyuan says it will construct more such low-speed wind farms in Anhui and neighboring Shandong province. In Chuzhou City alone, Longyuan will construct 1GW wind farms in three years.
Meanwhile, some industry officials propose a "time break" after years of doubling growth in the wind power industry.
Lu Jianjun says "China's wind farms were constructed a bit too fast. They have outpaced supporting grids, management and technologies. Proper reorganization is necessary."
Lu believes when wind power has developed to a certain extent, it is unrealistic to maintain the doubling-growth miracle. Therefore, in order to facilitate sustainable and healthy development of the industry, Lu thinks it's necessary to rein in its development for the time being.
