CHINA’S NEW WIND RULES

Chill wind blowing for turbine industry
June 3, 2011 (China Daily via People’s Daily)

"Wind turbine manufacturers are feeling the industry performance pinch for the first time after five years of good times in China, the world's fastest-growing wind power market, said industry experts…Following recent incidents where a total of 1,346 wind turbines were disconnected from the power grid on April 17 in Gansu and Hebei provinces [reducing electricity to millions], China is planning to issue stringent national standards for wind turbine manufacturers…

"The national standards, being drawn up by the government, are expected to set the tone in the industry, requiring that all installed wind turbines are equipped with low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) capability to ensure stability to the power grid…LVRT refers to the capability of wind turbines to maintain continuous operation during and after precipitous voltage dips, allowing the power grid to be adjusted more quickly and improve the overall safety and stability of the grid…"

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"Compulsory national standards for wind-generated electricity are needed to regulate grid compliance and build a strong smart grid in the country, industry experts said…At present, most of China's installed wind turbines do not have the LVRT capability and domestic manufacturers are upgrading their machines in the wake of the recent incidents in Gansu and Hebei provinces.

"The State Grid, China's largest power distributor, issued the current standards in practice for wind power operators in 2009, but these were not enforced nationally…It costs between 10,000 and 500,000 yuan to upgrade a single wind turbine by installing LVRT, depending on the turbine model…[S]ome wind farm operators do not want the function partly due to cost concerns…[and partly because] disruptions are still inevitable because [of] the power grid…"

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"…[Current standards] suggest wind farm operators to install the Static Var Compensator, which costs at least hundreds of thousands yuan and can maintain steady voltage and stabilize the power system…[but] the wind farms in Gansu and Hebei, where the disconnection took place, did not have the Static Var Compensator…

"China increased its total wind power capacity to 41.8 gigawatts in 2010, up 62 percent from the previous year…However, for the first time since 2005, growth in wind power is slowing down, partly due to more controls from the government to prevent the industry from overheating. The industry had been experiencing triple-digit growth before 2009."