Economy and Business
Province a pioneer in green power production
By Dai Yan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-27 09:19
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 Blades for wind turbines manufactured by the Dongying branch of the German company Nordex. [Ju Chuanjiang / China Daily] |
The new energy industry in Shandong province is growing fast and leading the nation in the fields of wind and solar energy.
"Development of the new energy industry is crucial to Shandong's future and local industrial rejuvenation," said Shandong Governor Jiang Daming.
Wind power is the fastest growing sector in the province's new energy industry. There were 24 wind farms in operation in the province by February, and there are currently 20 projects under construction, accounting for a total investment of more than 48 billion yuan.
Wind power capacity totals 67 million kilowatts, equivalent to 3.68 times that of the Three Gorges hydropower installed capacity.
There were 25 biomass power projects in operation in the province by the end of 2009, with a total installed capacity of 425,000 kilowatts. They are mainly located in areas with rich agricultural resources, such as Liaocheng, Weifang, Heze and Linyi. A biomass direct combustion project in Shan County, the first of its kind in the nation, is now in operation.
Biomass power can be generated from agriculture waste combustion and gasification, and direct MSW landfill gas to produce gas and electricity.
By the end of 2009, biogas projects for 2 million households had been completed, with an annual gas production of 1.3 billion cubic meters, equivalent to more than the amount that 1 million tons of standard coal could produce.
Marsh gas projects have also helped to improve the living conditions of locals.
Shandong is also a pioneer of solar energy use. The province's annual output of solar water heaters passed four million units last year, up 43.7 percent from the previous year, accounting for more than 30 percent of the nation's total, and more than anywhere else in the country.
The solar thermal industry generated revenue of 26 billion yuan in 2009, a 46 percent year on year increase. Several famous brands are operating in the province, including Hi-min Solar, Linuo Paradigma and Solar Energy.
One of these - a one megawatt solar PV power plant funded by Shandong Run Feng Power Co Ltd is the first solar photovoltaic power plant linked to the grid in the province, and generates about 1.3 million kWh annually.
PV industry revenue hit 18 billion yuan in 2009, up 39 percent compared with the previous year.
Production capacity of PV is 340 megawatts, an increase of 30.7 percent. The province has already developed an edge in PV technology, and has a group of local companies with their own brands and proprietary technologies.
Shandong is also promoting the development and utilization of geothermal energy.
Seventeen cities in the province have geothermal resources, equivalent to 123.6 billion tons of standard coal. These resources are mainly situated in the west and northwest, and are used for heating, bathing and swimming and aquaculture.
Shandong also hopes to harness the ocean's resources to generate power and has several demonstration projects exploring the use of ground source thermal power and seawater for heating and cooling.
