THE MEASURE OF CHINA’S WIND

China's onshore resource dominates offshore; China has 2,380GW in onshore wind power resources and 200GW in offshore wind power resources that are potentially usable, according to a new study
Wu Qi, 8 July 2010 (Windpower Monthly)

"…[Finding of research from] the Wind Energy and Solar Energy Resources Evaluation Centre, which runs under China Meteorological Administration… run against the traditional belief that China has larger offshore wind power resources than land-based resources… Shi Pengfei, vice-president of China Wind Energy Association…said the centre assessed the country’s land-based and offshore wind power at 50 meters above sea-level through 400 measuring towers. These used a numerical simulation and assessment system, in areas where wind power density is larger than 300watts/square meter.

"Traditionally, China is believed to have a total of 1,000GW exploitable wind power resources. These are separated into 250GW for land-based and 750GW for offshore wind power, largely in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu and the eastern coastal areas."

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"Offshore wind power resources were calculated in depths of 2-to-25 meters, which are ideal for inter-tidal wind farms and near-sea offshore wind farms…East China’s Jiangsu Province has the largest number of projects to develop offshore wind power. The province has an ambitious target to install 10.75GW offshore wind power by 2020.

"In April 2009, China’s National Energy Bureau required coastal provinces to map out offshore wind power development plans and put forward near-term and early-stage development programs…"

Match the province with its wind. (click to enlarge)

"On May 18 this year, China officially kicked off effort for public tender of 1,000MW [of experimental] intertidal and offshore wind farms in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, which are separated into Binhai, Sheyang, Dafeng and Dongtai. The public tender will begin in August or early September."

[Shi Pengfei, CWEA:] "China needs to experiment with these four intertidal and offshore wind farms in the first place. If they involve too high costs, I propose that China may postpone developing offshore wind farms in large scales."