Vestas offers new wind turbine for domestic market

Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Technologies, the biggest player of its sector in the market worldwide, has introduced the V120-2.0/2.2 MW turbine to the Chinese market as a buildup to China Wind Power 2017, the annual trade fair in China's wind power industry.

The latest turbine, tailor-made for the Chinese market, will boost power generating capacity in low and ultra-low wind environments with its light blade weight, boosting generation capacity by 13 percent compared with its previous model, the V110-2.0/2.2 MW, said Johnny Thomsen, global senior vice-president and head of product management at Vestas.

First deliveries are expected to start in the third quarter of 2018.

Vestas, which has been in the mainland for three decades, built its largest integrated manufacturing complex in Tianjin, which is now playing a significant role in Vestas' global supply chain.

"We have invested in building up a strong supply chain here and we also have a state-of-the-art manufacturing complex in Tianjin, consisting of four factories, all of which illustrate our commitment in China," he said.

"Projects in China are increasingly moving to low and ultra-low wind areas in southeastern parts of the country and the latest turbine is specifically designed for such wind regimes," said Vestas China President Yang Kebao.

Analysts say the wind power sector has substantial potential in China during the next five years, and that there are also substantial opportunities for wind turbine makers at home and abroad.

Joseph Jacobelli, a senior analyst of Asia utilities at Bloomberg Intelligence, said the growth of China's wind power generation has been astonishing in terms of absolute capacity, from around 10 megawatts in 2006 to over 150,000 megawatts in 2016.

"The very high pace of growth created some unique challenges, especially curtailment," he said.

"The wind power generation also faces challenges, including addressing the funding of the subsidies and ensuring that wind power does not disrupt supply stability."

China had 152 gigawatts of grid-connected capacity at the end of 2016 compared to about 131 gW at the end of 2015. The government is officially targeting 210 gW by the end of 2020, which is a level that should be achieved easily.

Jacobelli said continued growth in new wind capacity is expected, although the absolute annual rate of increase should remain the same, 13 to 14 percent per year on average through 2025.