Wind provides an inexhaustible source of clean energy. Against the backdrop of commercialization and fierce market competition, wind power has become one of the most important renewable technologies in the world. At present, more than 100 countries in the world have adopted wind power and these account for a high proportion of the total universal electric power supply. For example, in Denmark wind power makes up more than 20 percent of the power supply while in Spain the proportion is 14.3 percent.

The world's future plans for wind power development are even more ambitious. Denmark plans to raise the proportion to 50 percent by 2025, the United States' aim is 20 percent by 2010, while the European Union by 2010 intends half of its renewable electric power, which accounts for 20 percent of its total electric power, to be wind power.

Two world 'bests'

China boasts an extensive territory, long coastlines and abundant supplies of wind power. The latest survey conducted by the China Meteorological Administration shows potential wind power at the height of 50 meters on land or above sea waters is about 2.58 billion kilowatts. China has made big strides in wind power development during the past three decades, especially during the 11th Five-year Plan.

Preliminary statistics show in 2010 China's newly installed capacity of wind power exceeded 16 million kilowatts. The total amount has passed 40 million kilowatts, and these two figures are respectively the world's largest outputs. Driven by huge market demand, wind power equipment manufacturing in China has become a truly competitive industry internationally. Some turbine manufacturers have edged themselves into the world's top 10. Domestic manufacturers have seized 85 percent of the country's market and are trying to do international business. Chinese wind power equipment manufacturers keep improving innovative capabilities. Chinese enterprises have at the preliminary stage realized the transition from import to understanding the technology, to joint design, and finally to independent design of high-power wind turbine technologies. Chinese enterprises have innovated greatly in adapting generating sets to China's special environmental and wind conditions. Multi-megawatt wind turbines independently designed and developed by these enterprises have come off the assembly line and started operations.

These achievements prove China's electric power technology has reached an advanced international level. Rapidly expanding market scale and rapidly rising innovative capabilities have also promoted the all-round development of China's electric power industry. A complete industrial system consisting of raw materials, parts, complete machines and service sectors is gradually taking shape.

China has already developed a wind power policy system with the Law on Renewable Energy as its core. As a result, electric power prices have stayed at reasonable levels, and there are clearer development goals and more explicit responsibilities for sharing of electric power enterprises and the grid. This is a very helpful policy environment for wind power development. Achievements to date show, with the support of resources, the power industry and policies, wind power is surely playing an important role in China's efforts to save energy and cut emissions. In the long run, these favorable conditions will also enable wind power to be China's mainstream electric power.

The outlook

But wind power at present is less than 1 percent of China's current power supply composition. Not many have realized the importance of wind power in a future new energy system featuring scientific, green and low-carbon aspects. Wind power integration and application remains the major block to wind power's recent development. At the new starting point of installed capacity of 40 million kilowatt, the country looks forward to a wind power development blueprint. To realize sound and rapid development of China's wind power, joint efforts should be made to solve these five problems.

First, to develop and apply clean energy is everyone's social responsibility. Through publicity, all of society will realize increasing development and use of renewable resources, including wind power, is an inevitable step in coping with increasingly serious energy and environmental problems and realizing the sustainable development of human society. In this way, a good social environment is created for the development of wind power.

Second, Europe's experience shows the biggest hindrance to a wind power grid's integration and application is the entrenchment of old concepts and thinking. To break the bottleneck for integration, we need to improve policies and introduce innovative mechanisms, adjust interest structures and coordinate relationships between wind power and other industries.

Third, innovation is the driving force of enterprises, industries and even a country's competitiveness. Opportunities presented by the huge wind power market must be valued. China should move toward the list of wind power giants by increasing scientific research input, setting up platforms for national research, development and testing of public technologies; and speeding up training of talent to continuously improve technology innovation systems.

Fourth, strengthen monitoring of wind power facilities to avoid cut-throat competition at the cost of quality. The wind power standard system should be further improved and, by making use of a third-party system for testing, evaluation and approval, the standards should be followed to further improve the quality of electric power facilities.

Fifth, China needs to strengthen international communication and cooperation, and create international policies and trade environment favorable to the development of wind power and promote international resource consolidation, reject any forms of trade protectionism, so as to enable borderless, green wind power technology early, and let wind power make life more convenient for all of the world's people.