China is set to achieve wind power of 230 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2020, which is equal to 13 times the current capacity of the Three Gorges Dam, according to a latest report.
The China Wind Power Outlook 2010, jointly released by the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association, the Global Wind Energy Council and Greenpeace, projects that the country’s total wind power capacity will reach at least 150GW, possibly up to 230GW. If this figure is realized, wind power could replace 200 coal-fired power plants and in the process cut 410 million tons of carbon dioxide emission, or 150 million tons of coal consumption.
“The rapid growth in wind power in China was propelled by both the growing need for energy and the government’s eagerness to develop low-carbon technology,” said Li Junfeng, secretary general of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.
China led the world in newly installed wind energy devices last year with a capacity of 13.8GW (equivalent to 10,129 turbines) – a rate of one new turbine every hour. In terms of overall installed capacity, China ranks second at 25.8GW after the United States by the end of last year.
via China set to be a big force in wind power — Shanghai Daily — English Window to China New.
