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China Idles 40% of Windpower Turbine Output Capacity
Businessweek ^ | March 11, 2010 | Ying Wang

Posted on 03/12/2010 2:36:54 PM PST by NRG1973

China is idling as much as 40 percent of its wind-turbine factories following a surge in investment driven by the government’s renewable-energy goals, the vice president of Shanghai Electric Group Corp. said.

Prices of turbines have tumbled more than 30 percent from 2004 levels in the world’s third-biggest windpower market by generating capacity because there are “too many” plants, Lu Yachen said in an interview in Beijing today.

China set a goal to increase its power-production capacity from wind by fivefold in 2020, spurring investment in turbine factories. There is a surplus of such plants, National Energy Administration head Zhang Guobao said in September, without giving figures.

“The overcapacity in manufacturing is caused by slower growth in wind-farm construction due to power-grid constraints,” Dave Dai, an analyst with CLSA Asia Pacific Markets, said by telephone from Hong Kong. “The issues with the grid aren’t expected to ease in the near term but should improve with the development of smart-grid investment over time.”

Currently, only part of China’s power grid is able to take delivery of the electricity produced by renewable energy. Grid constraints in China may leave as much as 4 gigawatts of windpower generation capacity lying idle, Sunil Gupta, managing director for Asia and head of clean energy at Morgan Stanley, said in November.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: energy; wind
The Chinese never intended to use those 4GW of windpower...they are continuing to build coal fired power plants at a dizzying pace and don't need the poorer quality windpower.
1 posted on 03/12/2010 2:36:54 PM PST by NRG1973
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To: NRG1973
You were saying ...

.they are continuing to build coal fired power plants at a dizzying pace and don't need the poorer quality windpower.

Ummmm... are the electrons of a poorer quality and don't work as well... :-)

2 posted on 03/12/2010 2:41:56 PM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: NRG1973

Actually the Chinese Government found out that the Wind Power projects were part of the Stimulus package under Obama and they can’t or won’t loan us anymore money!!!! So the plants must shut down over!!!


3 posted on 03/12/2010 2:42:03 PM PST by tallyhoe
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To: Star Traveler
You were saying ...

.they are continuing to build coal fired power plants at a dizzying pace and don't need the poorer quality windpower.

Ummmm... are the electrons of a poorer quality and don't work as well... :-)

Within the grid business, windpower is considered poor quality because it is not predictable...that is, the companies that manage the grid can't count on windpower to provide the power they need...when they need it. So...it is poor quality power.

4 posted on 03/12/2010 2:45:50 PM PST by NRG1973
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To: NRG1973
You were saying ...

Within the grid business, windpower is considered poor quality because it is not predictable...that is, the companies that manage the grid can't count on windpower to provide the power they need...when they need it. So...it is poor quality power.

When I read this ...

4 gigawatts of windpower generation capacity lying idle

Then I have to wonder about the logic of having already paid for the production of that electricity (i.e., it's ready to produce, even if not all the time or evenly) -- and not using it at all.... that sounds way too stupid to me, especially in the era of increasing energy usage (over the world) and China's demand increasing so fast.

To me it's just dumb and dumb, especially with having the units already there.

5 posted on 03/12/2010 2:54:07 PM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: NRG1973

sounds like windmill prices are about to come down sharply


6 posted on 03/12/2010 3:02:20 PM PST by babble-on
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To: Star Traveler

What they are idling are factories.

The title is sort of misleading. They have excess manufacturing capacity not excess generating capacity.


7 posted on 03/12/2010 3:29:33 PM PST by UnChained ( I am sending you out as sheep among wolves; so be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves)
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To: UnChained

Well, then... I see what is being said... :-)


8 posted on 03/12/2010 3:34:49 PM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: NRG1973

More batteries needed to save the power for when it is wanted.


9 posted on 03/12/2010 3:43:52 PM PST by dr huer
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To: All
Check out this excellent (but sobering) article about wind generated power:

The American Thinker: Wind Energy's Ghosts by Andrew Walden

10 posted on 03/12/2010 4:10:07 PM PST by rlmorel (We are traveling "The Road to Serfdom".)
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