Popularization and Application of wind power

The popularization and application of small-sized wind power generation sets have achieved obvious social effect. In recent years, its applications on the wind field demonstration projects also obtained sound economic effects.

1.        Independent Application

In those broad remote areas in China, where electricity grid cannot be connected, more than 20% households are not supplied with electricity. Due to the popularization of small-sized wind power generation sets, in particular the hundred kW grade small-sized sets, domestic electricity demands such as lighting, TV, radio have been increasingly solved. Inner Mongolia attaches more importance to the utilization of new energy. Early in the 1980s, they have worked out the guideline to firstly settle the domestic electricity needs with small-sized sets and for households mainly. The government adapted the compensation policy, and the manufacturer made circuit service so as to advocate and promote the utilization of small-sized wind power generation sets by the household. Until the end of 1998, this region has obtained about 130,000 sets of small-sized wind power generation sets, representing 80% of the country. Except for Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Xinjiang also popularized its applications in their remote areas. Independent small-sized wind power generation sets are in general equipped with storage battery to output dc or dc ac inverter to output ac.

2.        Grid-Connected Operation

For the grid-connected operation of wind power generation in China, there are mainly 3 types. The first type is to connect single set of moderate or large-scale wind power generator to the grid for operation; the second type is to make single set or multi sets of moderate and large-scale wind power generation sets and diesel engine as a integrated system to connect to the grid; the third type is to make multi sets of large-scale wind generator as wind field to connect to the grid. Right now the third is popular.

In 1983, 3 sets of 55kW Vestas wind power generator made in Denmark were installed in Rongcheng, Shangdong province, indicating that the first wind field was established in China. In 1989, 13 sets of 150 kW Bonus wind generator made in Denmark were equipped in Dabancheng, Xinjiang, and 5 sets of 100kW Windpower generator made in the US were installed in Inner Mongolia. Demonstration experiment on the operation of wind field has also commenced. After that, foreign sets have been imported in successive in each region to establish the wind field with the annual increment of installed capacity. In particular, the scheme to utilizing the wind proposed by the state planning committee, the project pointed out by the state economic and trade committee and the target to reach the installed capacity over 1 million kW until the end of the century made by the former electricity department, played important role in speed up the construction of wind field in China. Until the end of 1998, the total installed equipment in the wind field has reached 515 sets, with the single maximum power of 600kW and the installed capacity of 20550 kW. The wind field with the scale of more than 10,000 kW includes Dabancheng of Xinjiang, Nanao of Guangdong, Donggang of Liaoning and Inner Monglia. Under the planning and organization of the state planning committee, the state economic and trade committee and the national electricity company, the construction of wind field has been developed steadily, and has achieved comparatively sound economic effects, laying a good foundation to improve the electricity industry structure in China.