Development and Utilization of Small Wind Turbine in China
He Dexin, Qi Hesheng
China is a developing country. It is an important prerequisite for China’s modernization to
harmonious develop the economy, the energy and the environment. China’s energy industry is
still faced with some problems, such as low per capita energy consumption, heavy
environmental pollution, low level utilization and low proportion of new and renewable energy.
Especially, in the western regions of China, there are millions having no access to electricity
because of the long distance from power net, and dispersed small load. It is impossible to
solve the problem by extending power net in a short time. However, the resources of wind
energy and solar energy in these regions are abundant, and independent-running small-scale
wind turbine or wind/solar complementary systems can be used to pump water and generate
electricity playing an important role in helping the people in China’s vast rural area, out of
poverty, promoting the harmonious development of rural economy and ecological
environment.
1. The Status of Wind Pump
China has a more than one thousand years’ history of using wind pumps. In the 1950s, there
were more than 200,000 wind pumps in Jiangsu Province, China. In the 1960s, it dropped
down to 130,000. After the middle of 1970s, wind pumps have regarded attention, about ten
types of wind pumps were developed, with diameter ranging from 2m to 7m, rated power from
200W to 4kW, delivery lift from 0.5m to 100m, and flow capacity from 1T/h to 100T/h.
In the southeast coast regions of China, the wind pumps are mainly used for application of low
delivery lift and large flow capacity, such as irrigating farmland, aquiculture, salt industry, and
so on. They are very important to the development of local agriculture, fishery and sideline
industry. The typical wind pumps are Model FDG-5, Model FDG-7, etc (Fig. 1). They are not
only used in domestic, but also exported to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, etc. In North and Northwest
China, the wind pumps with high delivery lift and small flow capacity were developed for
providing water for residents and livestock and irrigating small area meadow. They have an
important social significance in improving the conditions of residents’ living and production.
The typical models are Model FD-4, Model FD-5.2, and so on.
At present, there are about 1,600 wind pumps in China, and the average annual production is
about 100. The demand for wind pumps is increasing step by step. According to the forecast,
1500 wind pumps will have been installed by the end of 2010.
Besides the wind pumps with low delivery lift and large flow capacity and the wind pumps with
high delivery lift and small flow capacity, China will develop wind pump/drip irrigation system,
wind turbine/air-pump and wind turbine generator/ electric pump system.
2. The Status of Small-Scale Wind Turbine Generator
Small-scale wind turbine generator has been developed since 1950s. Having tackled key
problems in 1970s, small-scale wind turbine generator was gradually commercialized, and
popularized in some regions, including Inner Mongolia. Small-scale wind turbine generator has
become an important energy resource for rural China, satisfying the residents’ need, and
partially meeting the requirement of production. At present, there are more than 10
corporations producing 50W~10kW wind turbine generators (Fig. 2). The largest one can
produce 30,000 sets of 100～300W wind turbine generators. By the end of 2002, there were
totally more than 200,000 sets of small-scale wind turbine generators produced in China.
Especially from 2000, Chinese government has carried out the ‘Brightness Program’, planning
to solve the electricity problem for the 8 million people in remote areas without electricity by
using wind turbine generator in 2005, and attain 100W per capita. This program makes
conditions for the continuing development of small-scale wind turbine generators in China.
The regions in which small-scale wind turbine generators are extensively used are Inner
Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu, etc. of China. In these regions, the generators are
mainly used for lighting, broadcasting, television, and is gradually being for communication,
weather and traffic, having achieved very good effects. Chinese small-scale wind turbine
generators are also exported to Indonesia, Pakistan, Mongolia, Malaysia, Korea, Cuba, and so
on. There have been nearly 2 thousand sets of wind turbine generators exported by the end of
2002. With the development of technology and the advancement of society, Chinese
small-scale wind turbine generators will be further developed: from single household, single
turbine to several households, several turbines’ parallel connection; from only wind turbine
generators to energies complementary, such as wind/solar complementary, wind/diesel
complementary, wind/solar/ diesel complementary, etc. In addition, China will improve the
quality of the products and reduce the cost of production by setting up standards of off-grid
wind turbine, testing performance and certification. And China will try to extend the using life of
its products by establishing post-sale service system.
3. The Chinese Policy of Developing Small-Scale Wind Turbine
As early as 1970s, “adaptation to local conditions, multivariate, complementary energy system,
integrated utilization and far-reaching benefit” has been China’s national energy policy. In
1980s, Inner Mongolia government made the course as “small-scale first, single household
use first and living first”. These policies play an active role in promoting small-scale wind
turbine. In recent years, with the reform and opening up, and the development of socialistic
market economy, large-scale wind turbine generator has been developed and many wind
farms have been built in China. At the same time, China has attached great importance to the
sustainable development of small-scale wind turbine. On the one hand, the central
government and local government use subsidy to help the residents in regions without
electricity applying wind turbines. On the other hand, the governments take favorable means to
encourage the corporations of small-scale wind turbine to enter the market and take
self-development road. At the same time, the state also provides special funds to encourage
the technology development of small-scale wind turbine.
He Dexin, born in January 1940, was graduated from the Aerodynamic specialty of the
Northwestern Polytechnical University. Now he is the research professor of China
Aerodynamics Research & Development Center, president of the Chinese Wind Energy
Association, vice director of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics,
standing member of the China Solar Energy Society, and member of the Chinese
Aerodynamics Society. He has devoted himself to the studies of wind engineering and industry
aerodynamics, especially in wind energy. He participates in wind energy research projects of
the National Key Technologies Research and Development Program and the National High
Technology Research and Development Program, organizing the domestic academic
exchanges in wind energy.
Mailing address: China Aerodynamics Research & Development Center (CARDC), P. O. Box
211, Mianyang Sichuan 621000, China.
Telephone: +86-816-2364034
FAX: +86-816-2362490
Email: cardc@my-public.sc.cninfo.net, cwea@cwea.sina.net
Curriculum Vitae
Qi Hesheng, born in June 1961, was graduated from the Machinery Design and Manufacture
specialty of the Inner Mongolian Industry College in 1983. He is a senior engineer,
secretary-general of the Wind Power Machinery Branch of China Association of Agricultural
Machinery Manufacturers, and the ministry of Machine-building Industry of China National
Agriculture & Animal Husbandry Machinery Corporation. He has devoted himself to the
organization and administration of the wind power machinery industry, especially small-scale
wind power machinery industry, the programming of the wind power machinery industry, the
organization of promoting research and development and importing technology.
Mailing address: Wind Power Machinery Branch of China Association of Agricultural
Machinery Manufacturers (CAAMM), Beijing Xichengqu Yuetan Nanjie 26# 100825, China.
Telephone: +86-10-68513557
FAX: +86-10-68596346
Email: qhsheng@263.net