China Cementing Global Dominance of Renewable Energy and Technology

[JSCh]

China’s first 5 MW offshore wind farm scheduled to operate in days
By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) 17:21, September 11, 2017

China’s first offshore wind farm with a capacity above 5 MW is scheduled to be put into operation and connected to the national power grid in mid-September, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC), the developer of the project declared recently.

The wind farm is located in Xinghua Bay, southeastern China’s Fujian province. A total of 14 high-output wind turbines from eight domestic and foreign enterprises will be installed to finalize the optimized turbine model for the region.

Given breakthroughs that have been made in high-power wind turbine technologies, an offshore high-tech, large-capacity wind power industry has been established in Fujian. It marked a new stage in the large-scale development of China’s offshore wind power industry.

The first phase of the project was initiated in November 2016 by CTGC with an investment of 1.8 billion RMB ($27.6 million), becoming the world’s first international prototype test site for an offshore high-output wind farm.

Fujian has the most offshore wind power resources in China, and even in Asia at large. The number of its annual utilization hours could reach 4,000, twice the amount of that in Inner Mongolia, which currently ranks first in the country in terms of installed wind power capacity.

Though the offshore wind power generating industry does not have a long history, it has been experiencing rapid development in recent years. Statistics show that wind power accounts for 16% of the world’s generating capacity from renewable resources.

China’s installed capacity of offshore wind farms will reach 15,000 MW. In addition, a batch of demonstration projects of offshore wind farms will be completed with improved technologies.

 

[TaiShang]

China turns more to green energy for power supply

• OIL & GAS
• Monday, 4 Sep 2017
  
  
• • 
    beh yuen hui
    
    
  
  
  
  
  Solar power: Solar panels mounted on concrete piles at the sea cucumber breeding farm produce renewable energy.
  
  
  DONGYING (China): China is gradually turning to renewable energy to reduce its dependency on traditional power supply which caused massive pollution.
  
  Currently, some 75% of the electricity in the country is still produced by coal fire, but the Government is consistent in developing green energy by investing in almost half of the world’s new photovoltaic installations last year.
  
  In June, Qinghai took the lead by running the entire province of 5.8 million people on wind, solar and hydro power for seven days as a trial project conducted by the State Grid, China’s national electricity company.
  
  In the north-eastern region of China, another province – Shandong – plays a vital role in the renewable energy sector.
  
  The power generated was enough for 39 million households, about five times the total number of Malaysian households.
  
  Here, in this rather new industry in line with the Chinese Government’s strategy in promoting sustainable energy to reduce pollution, the intelligence of the Chinese is put into good use creating comprehensive projects that pushed their profits to great extent.
  
  At the river mouth of Dongying, an industrial coastal city of Shandong province, Dongying Shuguang Solar Power invested in a renewable energy project.
  
  A total of 230,000 solar panels were mounted on concrete piles above the water that covered an area of some 1,000 ha, the size of about 160 football fields.
  
  “This is a solar-integrated agriculture project. We breed sea cucumber in the water, under the photovoltaic panels,” said business manager Tang Yongchao, adding that such methods would make the land more productive.
  
  Tang said the company invested 590 million yuan (RM378mil) in the project and expected to see returns in seven years.
  
  Last year, the company, which started in 2015, generated 86 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity – enough to cater for nearly 150,000 households in China.
  
  “We will be opening up another sector of 30ha, which we believe can generate 26GWh of power,” he pointed out, adding the electricity is sold to State Grid.
  
  When the project runs on full-scale in the near future, the usage of coal in thermos-electricity power generation could be reduced by 28,000 tonnes a year.
  
  Tang revealed that the same power-integrated agriculture method could be applied to farming, planting crops or fruits under the solar panels.
  
  In Jinan, the capital city of Shandong, Linuo Group is one of the pioneer enterprises in the solar energy industry.
  
  The company covers the whole solar power chain, ranging from primary tubes and photovoltaic products to energy conservation and environmental protection-related equipment.
  
  Being a leader in solar technology, its tube products accounted for more than 65% of the Chinese market.
  
  Zhang Beiwen, the group’s vice-president, is very confident in the development of green energy, citing the falling solar technology cost and promising government policy as being among the reasons that will greatly boost the industry in China.
  
  The gigantic wind turbines created a fairy- tale picturesque scene for Dongying city. Guohua (Dongying Hekou) New Energy company made a huge contribution to this unique attraction.
  
  The company operates seven wind power plants with 569 wind generators in two districts, namely Hekou and Binzhou, generating 55GWh of electricity while reducing 490,000 tonnes of carbon emission.
  
  China and the United States are the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the world.
  
  Under its 13th five-year power plan, the country has pledged to increase the share of renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60% by 2030.
  
  It also planned to spend 2.5 trillion yuan (RM1.6 trillion) on green energy by 2020.
  
  
  Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/business/...-energy-for-power-supply/#imUCgMwdBOsUrxRQ.99

 

[JSCh]

China's first commercial solar thermal power station begins test run
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-11 16:35:42|Editor: An



XINING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's first commercial solar thermal power station has begun a test run and is scheduled to send power to the grid by the end of this year, said the operator on Monday.

The Delingha solar thermal power station operated by the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) in northwestern province of Qinghai made its first test run on Aug. 31 with all equipment running normally, the company said.

The project approved by the National Energy Administration in 2016 has an installed capacity of 50 megawatts of electricity, equivalent to the power produced by 60,000 tonnes of coal a year.

Sources with CGN said the plant can reflect sunlight to a central receiver to heat water, which produces steam to power a turbine for generating electricity. It is the first time that the technology has been put into commercial use in China.

Built on the sparsely populated plateau, the demonstration plant is expected to boost China's efforts to meet the 2030 target of producing 20 percent of its overall energy from renewable sources.

 

[JSCh]

Bolivia signs deal with Chinese firm to build hydroelectric plant
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-12 07:12:11|Editor: Yang Yi



LA PAZ, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia's state electricity company, ENDE, signed on Monday a contract with Chinese firm Sinohydro to build the Ivirizu hydroelectric dam.

In a ceremony in the department of Cochabamba, attended by President Evo Morales, the contract was signed, allowing Sinohydro to build the dam itself with an investment of 172 million U.S. dollars.

Future stages of construction will involve the construction of tunnels and access paths to the dam, as well as the installation of machinery.

Morales, in his speech, pointed out how Ivirizu would help Bolivia to become an energy center in South America and encouraged Sinohydro to meet the deadlines it had set.

The Minister of Energy, Rafael Alarcon, said that Sinohydro had won the contract for the dam construction on the second tender and that ENDE would be tasked with overseeing the substation and transmission lines linked to the dam.

He added that the Central Bank of Bolivia (BCB) had extended a loan worth 549.9 million U.S. dollars for the project.

The Ivirizu hydroelectric dam will be built over four years and is expected to have a full capacity of 279.9 megawatts.

 

[JSCh]

Dubai awards contract for final phase of solar park
16 Sep 2017

AFP / STRINGER Visitors look at screens displaying images of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park on March 20, 2017, at the solar plant in Dubai

The Gulf desert emirate of Dubai on Saturday announced the award of a $3.8-billion contract for the final phase of a solar park aimed at generating 5,000 megawatts of electricity by 2030.

The local government said the contract for the fourth and final phase went to Chinese conglomerate Shanghai Electric and ACWA Power of Saudi Arabia.

The solar park named after Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, went online in 2013 and the final phase is to be launched in stages from 2020, bringing the overall cost to $13.6 billion.

Dubai, which has dwindling oil reserves unlike Abu Dhabi, a fellow member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has set a target of 2050 to produce 75 percent of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources.

Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, is building four nuclear power plants, each with a 1,400-megawatt capacity, the first of which is scheduled to launch operations in 2018. The overall costs are put at more than $25 billion.

The UAE has announced it plans to invest a total of $163 billion in projects aimed at supplying the country with almost half of its energy needs from renewable sources.


Dubai awards contract for final phase of solar park | AFP.com

 

[JSCh]

China-invested PV power station enters operation in Russia
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-17 15:03:28|Editor: Xiang Bo



HARBIN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A 15-megawatt photovoltaic power station, with investment from China-based Sirius Holding Group, has been put into operation in Astrakhan, Russia.

The station generates 15,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour.

Cui Zhiwei, deputy general manager of Sirius, said the company's investment was expected to be recouped in five years.

Power demand in Russia has seen sustainable growth thanks to its economic recovery in recent years.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese to dominate high-end solar market with mono-crystalline development
2017-09-19 10:43 Global Times/Agencies Editor: Li Yan

Under a new program, China is pushing the solar industry toward mass market high-performance solar cells so far used mainly in high-tech products like satellites.

Making these cells more affordable will likely further boost a sector that has already disrupted global electricity generation.

It will also put pressure on international solar cell makers, such as Canadian Solar, REC Solar, Sharp and Sunpower, which compete with Chinese leaders including LONGi Green Energy Technology, Trina Solar and JA Solar Holdings.

Under its 2017 "Top Runner Program", China's National Energy Administration plans to add 8-10 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity to its existing 80 GW.

"This shift... could have far-reaching implications for the global solar industry, especially vaulting China into the top ranks of countries pursuing solar R&D," Stanford University said in its 2017 report on the solar industry.

World solar power generation capacity has ballooned to around 300 GW from just 1 GW in 2000, according to International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) data, and that number is set to double again by 2020.

That growth has largely relied on multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells - sometimes called polycrystalline - in which solar units consist of multiple silicon crystalline cells.

These have been cheaper to produce than the more efficient mono-crystalline cells, which are made from single crystalline units.

The price of multi-crystalline cells has dropped to well below 50 cents per watt from $80 in 1980.

But prices are now converging as China scales up production of mono-crystalline cells.

Energy Trend, a consultancy, says the average price of a Chinese high-efficiency, multi-crystalline cell is $0.225 per watt, compared to just $0.319 per watt for high-efficiency, mono-crystalline cells.

"With poly-silicon products, we have seen the [development] ceiling. Now, we are ramping up investment of mono-solar," said Xie Tian, director of quality management at LONGi Green Energy Technology. "Mono-crystalline could take more than 50 percent of the market," he said, up from around one-fifth today.

Analysts say demand for mono-crystalline panels is already strong.

"Many panel makers...can't meet orders. Their bookings are full until next year," said Jason Tsai of Energy Trend.

Mono-crystalline technology is not new, but because of its cost, it was mainly being used in high-tech space products until recently.

But its use is likely to grow as the cost differential narrows, meaning a higher efficiency can be had at a similar price.

Under the "Top Runner Program", payouts known as ''Feed-in-Tariffs'' will favor high-efficiency projects.

"It's much easier to meet the requirements of mono [now], therefore it [the program] is accelerating investment in mono," said Steve O'Neil, CEO of REC Solar, a Singapore-based panel maker owned by Chinese State-owned ChemChina.

Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy, a leader in solar development, said in July the record laboratory efficiency for mono-crystalline was 26.7 percent per cell, versus 21.9 percent for multi-crystalline.

While China is driving the shift to mono-crystalline, producers globally are adapting. REC Solar, for example, says it is starting to move into mono-crystallines after focusing largely on multi-crystalline cells.

 

[JSCh]

China's homegrown wind turbine rolls off production line
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-24 11:28:51|Editor: An



CHONGQING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A giant wind turbine developed by China has rolled off the production line in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing.

The turbine, coded H140-3MW, has a diameter of 140 meters, according to HZ Windpower, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

The turbine has the longest diameter among all the turbines of the same level. It can generate 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per hour at a wind speed of 9.6 meters per second, the company said.

Besides its sheer size, the turbine is quite adaptable to the environment. It can operate between 40 degrees Celsius and minus 30 degrees Celsius, and can work in high, windy, salty and frosty environment.

The turbine is a breakthrough for the company, and it will contribute to the development of the wind power market, said a staff with the company.

 

[JSCh]

China’s largest photovoltaic charging station opens in Shanghai
Source: Globaltimes.cn-VCG Published: 2017-11-22 18:33:38

Highlights: The Fudian New Energy Photovoltaic Charging Station recently opened in Shanghai. The largest of its kind in China, the spaceship-like station is capable of charging up to 400 vehicles a day. It takes around 20 minutes to fully charge an electric vehicle, according to employees. Photos: VCG

​

 

[Solomon2]

The turbine, coded H140-3MW, has a diameter of 140 meters, according to HZ Windpower, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The turbine has the longest diameter among all the turbines of the same level. It can generate 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity -

Per kilowatt-hour generated, wind power was the most dangerous form of electricity generation for decades. The reason? Wind turbine failure, sometimes spectacularly. The trick isn't fashioning the size of these turbines but fabricating the blades and gearboxes so they are durable enough to endure powerful levels of repetitive stress and strain.

So a big reason why new wind turbines are usually installed offshore or in remote areas is because their safety isn't certain. Any idea where this new one will be installed? The article doesn't say.

 

[JSCh]

Per kilowatt-hour generated, wind power was the most dangerous form of electricity generation for decades. The reason? Wind turbine failure, sometimes spectacularly. The trick isn't fashioning the size of these turbines but fabricating the blades and gearboxes so they are durable enough to endure powerful levels of repetitive stress and strain.

So a big reason why new wind turbines are usually installed offshore or in remote areas is because their safety isn't certain. Any idea where this new one will be installed? The article doesn't say.

According to this news article in Chinese on 13 Nov,

中国海装首台H140-3MW风电机组实现并网发电 - 新闻资讯 - 中国储能网​

The main product line of the company with many sold in China is land based 2MW low wind speed. But they expect future market demand for bigger system, therefore start a project for land based 3MW in March this year. After 6 months, on 22 Sept, H140-3MW roll off the line (which is the news I previously posted) and immediately sent and installed on a wind power testing base in Zhangbei county, Hebei province on 17 Oct. It is connected to the grid on 3rd Nov.

 

[JSCh]

China Machinery Engineering gets 33 mln USD solar farm procurement contract
Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-28 15:02:40|Editor: Liangyu



KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) has been awarded a 137 million ringgit (33 million U.S. dollars) procurement contract, to supply material and equipment for a solar farm project in Malaysia.

Malaysia's engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) solutions provider for renewable energy infrastructure Mattan Engineering said Tuesday it had appointed CMEC to be its procurement arm for the 50-Megawatt-ac solar farm project.

CMEC, who is part of China National Machinery Industry Corporation, will undertake the necessary package arrangements for the procurement and international transportation of the material and equipment including mounting structures and solar panels, according to a statement issued by Mattan.

"Over the years, CMEC has developed its reputation in the international engineering contracting field including through its involvement in the Belt and Road initiative," said Mattan's executive chairman Levin Tan during the signing ceremony.

He foresaw the appointment would enable both sides to leverage on their respective expertise, experience and resources to ensure this project is completed.

The procurement contract was part of Mattan's 285 million ringgit (69 million U.S. dollars) EPCC contract that had been awarded by Solar Management, the project owner of the solar project. Malaysia Building Society will be financing up to 247 million ringgit (60 million U.S. dollars) for the project.

The solar project is located in Negeri Sembilan, a state lying in Malaysia Peninsula's southwest coast, and is expected to complete by November 2018.

 

[JSCh]

China conglomerate goes offshore with US$803m UK wind farm deal
China Resources National says stake will raise international profile and help to acquire knowledge of offshore operations

• PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 19 December, 2017, 4:35pm
• UPDATED : Tuesday, 19 December, 2017, 9:15pm
• Eric Ng

China Resources National, one of the country’s largest state-backed conglomerates, has agreed to buy a 30 per cent stake in an offshore wind farm in the UK for £600 million (US$803 million).

The acquisition follows Beijing’s call for companies to “go global”. The firm’s listed power generation unit, China Resources Power (CRP), will take a 40 per cent stake in a purchasing consortium, in its maiden overseas foray.

The remaining 60 per cent will be held by two other subsidiaries, CRP said in a filing to Hong Kong’s bourse on Tuesday.

“The transaction allows the group to participate in the “go global” strategy of the China Resources Group, and take advantage of the attractive geographical opportunity to raise its international profile,” it said. The move will allow CRP to establish “a platform for cross-border expansion into European markets and make a debut investment in the European offshore wind energy sector”, the company added.

The purchase will be settled by buyers’ funds and bank borrowings.

A CRP spokesman said the company, with no current offshore wind farms in China, is keen to gain experience and knowledge of offshore wind farm operations to help its future expansion in China.

“It is a relatively small investment by CRP, but the board is very supportive on the deal since it is offshore UK, where many well-run wind farms are located, and the industry is supported by a good regulatory environment,” he said.

CRP operated 5,330 megawatts of onshore wind farms in China at the end of June, 14.4 per cent of its total capacity of 37,020MW, predominantly coal-fired.

The Dudgeon wind farm, with an annual capacity of 402 megawatts is located off the coast of Norfolk in eastern England.

It is 35 per cent owned by each of Statoil Wind, a unit of the Norwegian state-backed oil and gas giant Statoil, and the Abu Dhabi-based state-backed renewable energy company, Masdar Offshore Wind UK. The seller of the remaining 30 per cent stake to the Chinese consortium is the state-owned Statkraft, Norway’s largest power producer and one of Europe’s largest renewable energy generators.

China Resources National has operations in the power, consumer products, real estate, cement, gas, pharmaceuticals and finance sectors.

It is one of the 98 state-owned enterprises directly under the administration of the central government, and has an indirectly held 62.9 per cent stake in CRP.

CRP shares traded up 1 per cent at HK$14.18 in afternoon trade. The Hang Seng Index was up by 0.8 per cent.


China conglomerate goes offshore with US$803m UK wind farm deal | South China Morning Post

 

[JSCh]

CGN to build 3 GW wind farm off southern China
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-22 16:34:07|Editor: pengying



GUANGZHOU, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) said Friday it would build a 3 gigawatt deepwater wind power project off the coast of Guangdong Province.

The country's largest nuclear power operator said it would install wind turbines at two deepwater sea areas near the city of Jieyang.

The company plans to invest 5 billion yuan (760 million U.S. dollars) in the initial period, with the total investment estimated at over 100 billion yuan.

CGN Chairman He Yu said the offshore wind power project was in line with the country's efforts to improve the energy mix for greener economic growth.

Chen Sui, chairman of CGN New Energy Holdings, said the company would build the wind farm into a demonstration project across the country.

CGN New Energy's 150 megawatt wind farm off the coast of Rudong County, east China's Jiangsu Province, went into full operation in September 2016. The farm, 25 kilometers from the coast, was a major breakthrough for China's wind power development.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese enterprise builds world's largest single-unit solar power plant in Morocco
(People's Daily Online) 17:11, January 19, 2018

Power Construction Corporation of China, one of the country’s largest hydro and thermal power project providers, said on Wednesday via its WeChat account that it has completed the second phase of a solar plant with world’s largest single-unit capacity in Morocco.

“The phase II project was completed on Jan. 10. With this clean energy technology, Morocco is expected to grow from an energy-poor country to an energy-rich one. This project is the result of our sincerity and long-term dedication,” the company said.

The second phase of the project will have an installed capacity of 200 megawatts, and the whole solar plant will have a total installed capacity of 510 megawatts once it is completely finished.

Morocco gets long hours of sunlight a year, but as a country with poor fossil fuel reserves, it has to spend $6 billion on electricity imports per year.

The Noor Solar Complex will play a key role in Morocco’s ambitious solar energy development program, which aims to expand solar power to half of the country’s total power projects by 2030.

The project will satisfy the electricity need of over a million households, and cut 760,000 tons of carbon emissions per year.

The project has created nearly 4,000 jobs for locals. A local construction worker, who has worked on the project for more than one year, said the Chinese workers have helped him to improve his skills. “By following them, I have not only mastered skills, but also gained new ones,” the young man said.

The project is also hailed by foreign experts as a great work, because it has created a longer industry chain. The Guardian said it will light up Africa’s path of clean energy development.

The State-owned enterprise signed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for phases II-III of the project with the Moroccan government in 2015. EPC contracts are a common form of contracting in the construction industry.

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