Decode wind power: Can the offshore wind power go through to the end?

In the wind power industry, the rapid development of onshore wind power has attracted worldwide attention, and the development of offshore wind power has started, which has also triggered the enthusiasm of major wind farm developers to “swim in the sea”. Offshore wind power is like a "baby born prematurely". It hastily emerged when it is not yet fully developed, and there are risks in many areas that the potential for speed will not be reached. "War" has been "burned" from the land to the sea. Despite the fact that China's offshore wind power development curtain has just begun, the field of wind power equipment manufacturing has long been filled with smoke.

In front of the government’s embarrassing blueprint for wind power, major coastal provinces, large central enterprises, and numerous wind turbine equipment makers are scrambling for this round of offshore wind power. A large-scale leap forward in offshore wind power is already on the horizon. Is offshore wind power "half-way" or growing rapidly? Can we continue offshore wind power to the end?

Look at reality:

In the 1980s, savvy Europeans discovered that there was less and less high-quality land-based wind power. When the cost of development increased, they turned their attention to the ocean. As a result, an endlessly rotating white wind turbine was erected on the blue sea. This picture became the most praised new energy landscape at the time. The rapid development of China's onshore wind power is also an eye-catching phenomenon in the new energy industry in recent years. This trend will now extend to offshore and domestic offshore wind power will start.

It is not surprising that offshore wind power has attracted attention. The reason for this is that because of the long coastline in China, there is a wealth of wind energy resources. Second, because offshore wind power occupies few resources and is close to the power load center, it avoids the trouble of long-distance transportation. In the overall requirements and tasks of the National Energy Administration, it is also clearly stated that in 2010, we must continue to promote the construction of large-scale wind power bases, especially offshore wind power. Offshore wind power has become a national concern.

Although China has very rich offshore wind power resources, in the face of the construction of offshore wind farms that require higher technology, more capital, and greater risks, any profit-oriented investor will be cautious and will not be easy. Touched, China's offshore wind power can only be sigh.

Problem 1: North is afraid of ice floe South is afraid of typhoon

If offshore wind farms are established in northern China, ice floes on the winter sea surface will be the greatest threat to the safety of wind turbines each year. In southern China, the typhoon has become the "first killer" of wind farm security.

Problem 2: The functional zoning is due to "sea"

Since wind power generation is also emerging in China in recent years, the most suitable part of China's offshore wind power has basically started fishery farming. In fact, if the parties can coordinate well, we might set up a wind turbine in the fishery so that we can achieve the best of both worlds.

Problem 3: Domestic fan is not satisfactory

There is still a considerable gap between China's fan technology and the world's advanced level. Moreover, the requirements for anti-corrosion and other requirements of offshore wind turbines are more stringent than those of onshore wind turbines, which will cause the unit to stall.

It can be seen that China's large-scale offshore wind turbine manufacturing is lagging behind in technology, which will make the supply of large-scale offshore wind turbines an important factor in the development of offshore wind power in China. Therefore, accelerating the development of large-scale offshore wind turbines is an urgent task for China to develop offshore wind power.

Say crazy: crazy wind farm

The development of wind power is no longer a game in a few countries and regions in the world, and the cost of wind power is continuously declining, making it a primary competitive force. Wind power has become the main force in the mainland to achieve energy-saving emission reduction targets. Wind farms are gradually entering the vast ocean from land. Looking across the country, the battle for offshore wind power industry is in full swing: The National Offshore Wind Power Concession Bidding Project was launched. The first batch of projects is huge. Major power companies and equipment manufacturers are “finding their teeth” and have been characterized as “overcapacity” of wind power. The equipment industry is preparing to usher in yet another climax of offshore wind power and began its “second expedition” from land to sea. The construction of offshore wind farms can be described in terms of madness. In Shanghai alone, five offshore wind farms are to be built and the speed of offshore wind power will be increased.

One of the wind farms: Shanghai Donghai Bridge offshore wind farm and grid-connected power generation

Shanghai’s offshore wind power construction speeded up, and the first large-scale pilot project for offshore wind power in China—the Shanghai Donghai Bridge’s 100 MW offshore wind farm was connected to the grid for power generation. 34 wind turbines moved with the wind, making it spectacular; at the same time, Shanghai Electric developed China's first 3.6 MW offshore wind turbine off the assembly line, with a diameter of 116 meters, and Shanghai Wande Wind Power Co., a private enterprise representative, not long ago, its two MW-class direct-drive permanent-magnet wind turbines were also in Fengxian offshore wind farm. Net power generation. All this shows that Shanghai offshore wind power construction and offshore wind turbine equipment manufacturing are entering a period of rapid development.

Effect: A number of industry giants have gradually emerged. Huarui Wind Power, Goldwind Technology, Xiangdian Wind Energy, and Dongfang Electric have become the industry leaders. Most of these companies have the core technology of offshore wind power technology and equipment. However, with the rapid growth of the wind power industry, the entire industrial chain has also rapidly expanded, and the competition for onshore wind power has reached a spotlight, and offshore wind power has further accelerated.

The second wind farm: Tianjin will start the preliminary work of the offshore wind farm project

The construction of the first wind farm in Tianjin, the Da Shen Tang wind farm, has been carried out to the pile foundation construction and testing stage. It is expected that all units will be put into production in June 2010. According to preliminary estimates, the completed Da Shen Tang wind farm can provide 52.13 million kWh of green electricity each year for the Binhai New Area, which is calculated at a monthly electricity consumption of 87 kWh per household and can be used by about 50,000 households for a year. It is understood that Tianjin's land-based wind energy resources are mainly concentrated in the coastal areas such as the Binhai New Area, where the wind frequency distribution is more suitable, the wind speed changes more smoothly and belongs to the category III wind area.

Effect: Da Shen Tang wind farm power line project is a 35 kV voltage transmission line project, its main role is to connect the power generated by the wind power site to the main grid of Binhai New Area. It is expected that the power line project will be completed in mid-August and it is expected to deliver green power for the new area in September. Subsequently, 13 turbines will be commissioned and tested technically one by one. The construction of Da Shen Tang wind farm has brought more opportunities for wind power equipment companies.

View of the game: strong opponents

The development of wind power in China is based on territorial delimitation and development of patches, and local governments have great control over wind energy resources. In the coastal climax of development of wind power, high-quality wind energy resources in short supply, a "high-quality wind farm supply" for "wind power equipment manufacturing industry," the game of government and enterprises are being staged in coastal provinces and cities.

Xiao He was sharply pointed and stood tall. Domestic wind power equipment manufacturers represented by Sinovel and Goldwind Technologies, as well as overseas leaders such as Vestas, Siemens, etc., have already begun to “swim in the sea” and have successively deployed heavily to capture China’s offshore wind power opportunities.

The offshore turbines of local companies were successively off the assembly line, and the foreign brands’ technology and experience were heavy blows. Faced with this fragrant cake, all parties who smelled “wind” were enthusiastic and determined. However, it is not easy to kill and maintain a position. In this area where equipment reliability requirements are extremely high, the tests that manufacturers, especially local brands, will face are far more severe than onshore wind power. However, there are not many domestic wind turbine manufacturers with experience in offshore wind power development. Offshore wind power has become a game for powerful companies. Whoever can prevail in this war depends on their respective capabilities.

Huarui Wind Power: China Wind Power is China's No. 1 and No. 3 wind power equipment company in the world. Tao Gang, vice president of SinoRui Wind Power Technology (Group) Co., Ltd., believes that the key factor that restricts the development of the global offshore wind power industry is the large-capacity, reliable offshore wind turbine technology research and development and large-scale production. Sinovel has started the development of wind turbines with 3 megawatts and 5 megawatts of offshore and intertidal wind turbines since 2006. Sinovel has been preparing for wind power.

Advantages: Sinovel Wind Power has already made preparations and is a world-renowned wind power equipment manufacturing company, and it is technically advanced.

Goldwind: Goldwind represents the future of offshore wind power. Goldwind and Huarui Wind Power are representatives of the domestic wind power sector and double-fed models, respectively, and the two types of wind power technologies: The debate in the development process of the domestic wind power industry is endless. It is the difference in technology that leads the market to be more optimistic about the market share of Goldwind in offshore wind power. Although the technologies of the two offshore wind demonstration projects above all adopt double-fed models, this does not mean that the double-fed models have a comparative advantage over the vertical machines.

Advantages: Goldwind represents the future of offshore wind power, and Sinovel's technology has superiority on land. Compared with Goldwind, it is worrying in offshore wind power competition and even at the disadvantage of high-power unit competition in the future. .

Xiangdian Wind Energy: Directly acquired the technology of a 5 MW direct-drive blower and a 2 MW wind turbine production line by purchasing Darwind Assets, an offshore wind turbine manufacturer headquartered in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Shanghai Electric Wind Power Equipment Co., Ltd., which has always emphasized the independent research and development, although it missed the first phase of the East China Sea Bridge, has a keen interest in the second phase of the project. The person in charge responded that at the time, considering the consideration of its own technology, it gave up the first phase of the East China Sea Bridge, but after the development of the last three to four years, Xiangdian has been fully capable. Many companies are buying drawings and buying designs, and Xiangdian is firm. Take the independent research and development of the technical route. At the moment, they seem to be a little slower, but a gradual and steady strategy will allow them to go further.

Advantages: Adhere to the independent research and development route and work steadily, I believe that through unremitting efforts to enter the forefront of offshore wind power is also a matter of time.

Offshore wind power technology has not yet matured in the Western developed countries, and China is still in its infancy. Fan companies at home and abroad have been eyeing the market, stepping up industrial layout and technology research and development, but who can grab more market share will be a "technology is king" contest.

v. Risk: yoke

The year 2010 may be the first year when China’s offshore wind power really enters the fast lane. Large-scale offshore wind power bases are about to burst out, even compared to onshore wind power bases. And how difficult is it to achieve this grand desire? We are inconceivable.

In 2010, the prelude to offshore wind power was officially opened with the start of the concession bidding project. Although offshore wind power has the advantages of good wind resources, superior power grid structure in the coastal area, and close proximity to the load center, its risks are not to be overlooked. Wind farm developers are more directly exposed to these risks than other stakeholders such as equipment manufacturers. Offshore wind power development is highly risky and difficult.

First: Long time and high cost of approval

It is understood that for offshore wind power, the approval of the Water Regulations Institute is very strict.

It takes a long time for the preparation and review of the marine environmental assessment and routing report. In general, from wind measurement to approval, the reasonable time for offshore projects is 2.5 years, which is longer than land projects. In addition, the current cost of offshore wind power development is about 10 times that of onshore wind power.

Second: Low fan design experience

Although major wind turbine manufacturers compete to develop offshore wind turbines, there are very few manufacturers that can actually mass-produce them. In the short-term, there is less supply than demand, and there is little room for developers to reduce prices. In terms of fan technology, domestic wind turbine manufacturers adopt the principle of partial system design to improve the reliability and availability of offshore wind turbines, but at the same time it may increase the cost of equipment. Adding the two together, the cost of the equipment is still at a high level.

In terms of wind farm design, there are currently not many design institutes with offshore wind power design experience, competition is insufficient, and design costs are high. Due to the small proportion of design costs and the relatively small risks, the lack of design experience is the main risk.

Third: Wind farm operation and maintenance risk

At present, maintenance vehicles and helicopters are used for the maintenance of offshore wind farms. However, these two modes of transportation are greatly affected by the weather and sea conditions. From the viewpoint of the availability of wind turbines, offshore wind turbines have higher reliability requirements for land wind turbines. From the current understanding, the availability of offshore wind turbines is generally low.


The towers of offshore wind turbines are subject to marine salt spray for many years, and their corrosion rate is faster than that in the terrestrial environment. In addition to spraying the towers strictly in accordance with anti-corrosion requirements, the towers must be checked and maintained on a regular basis. Because the foundation of the wind turbine is located on the bottom of the sea, it changes the local shape of the seabed. In the role of waves, tides and currents, the movement of the sea bottom terrain has a great influence on the stability of the foundation and sometimes jeopardizes the safety of the wind turbine. Although the impact of currents, waves, and tides on the foundation is fully taken into account in designing, the observation and maintenance of the foundation of the fan should be performed periodically after the fan is operated.

Fourth: There is a risk of surfing the Internet

The country has not formulated a unified on-grid tariff for offshore wind power, and the on-grid tariff is indeed the main source of revenue for developers. It is clear that on-grid tariffs can enable developers to formulate investment and financing plans rationally. In addition, although the level of power grid architecture in the coastal areas is relatively high, there is still a shortage of power grids used for offshore wind power grid access. The responsibility of power grid companies in the development of offshore wind power should be strengthened.

Though the development speed of offshore wind power is very fast, there are also many problems. The scientific research and technological development of offshore wind power in China is not enough. The lack of technical reserves and the lack of practical project operation experience all need to be seriously addressed in practice.

Peeking Opportunity: Staking "Land" Turns "Sea"

As of now, it cannot be said that China has the capability to manufacture offshore wind turbines. The so-called ability to do this is to be able to produce mature offshore wind turbines, and this must be tested. The manufacturing capacity of offshore wind power equipment in China has yet to be tested with time and practice. Through the staking "water" and staking "the ground", China has reached the era of "sail" in the racehorse circle, but the time for large-scale offshore wind power construction is still immature and still needs to wait.

Many energy companies have begun to engage in the field of offshore wind power. Although the national offshore wind power master plan and provincial wind farm plans have not yet been completed, but the developers have "expressed their energy", began to actively contact with the cities and counties and signed relevant agreements to do At any time, follow-up wind farm planning, in order to eventually obtain project qualifications. It can be said that the hot scenes of the major energy groups in the land wind farms have begun to be copied in the water.

The wind speed at sea is higher than that of land, and the general wind direction is fixed, so the unit is stable in operation and has a long service life. The unit's single unit capacity is large and the annual utilization hours are higher. Therefore, the energy output is relatively large. Offshore wind power does not occupy valuable land resources on the land. , And close to the coastal power load center, easy access to the power grid.

The development of wind power at sea, the contradiction of the power grid will not be as sharp as the land, there is no problem of large-scale transmission.

However, at present, China is not suitable for large-scale development of offshore wind power. Only through demonstration projects to master more experience, wait for time to test, and then further expand the scale, this should be a gradual process. Currently, the utilization rate of homemade land-based machines is less than 90%. Offshore wind power is more difficult due to technical difficulties, and the availability rate will be lower. Offshore wind power construction demonstration projects should be carried out in phases and begin to develop on a small scale.


Looking to the Future: Opportunity Challenge

With the rapid development of the wind power industry, some problems of land-based wind farms such as occupying land, affecting natural landscapes, generating noise, and inconvenience to the lives of the surrounding residents have gradually emerged. After all, land is suitable for the installation of wind turbines with limited sites. Offshore wind resources are better than land, noise restrictions are small, and fan energy output is large. Therefore, in recent years, the development of wind farms from land to offshore has become a new phenomenon. Although the trend is relatively slow, it is worth looking forward to in the future. The future opportunities and challenges of the offshore wind power industry coexist.

Opportunity: In 2010, we must continue to promote the construction of large-scale wind power bases, especially offshore wind power. This is a plan proposed by the National Energy Administration. Offshore wind power is highly valued by the state. In fact, China has abundant wind energy resources, which are hidden in the long golden coastline. In addition, offshore wind power does not occupy much territory, and it is close to the power load center. Unlike long-distance transportation of land wind power, offshore wind power has its own advantages compared with land wind power. In reality, although China’s onshore wind power has achieved rapid development in recent years, and the installed capacity has been doubled for four consecutive years, the development of offshore wind power has only just begun. At present, the country’s main policy is to promote offshore wind power through competition mechanisms. The development of land-based wind power is very competitive now. Compared with it, the threshold of offshore wind power will be higher, and the on-grid tariff will be higher and can withstand higher equipment costs. Therefore, many land-based wind power equipment manufacturers are facing the sea. The field of wind power is "astonishing."

Challenges: The National Energy Administration of the United Nations has issued the Interim Measures for the Management of Offshore Wind Power Development and Construction, and the “Entry Standard for Wind Power Equipment Manufacturing Industry” issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which stipulates that wind turbine generators must have a production capacity of 2.5 megawatts or more and annual output. More than one million kilowatts of the necessary production conditions and all production facilities. These standards set high standards for entering offshore wind power equipment companies and raise the threshold for offshore wind power. Although the development of offshore wind power has greatly overtaken the trend on the land, the country’s tendering curtain is about to open. However, offshore wind power requires high performance of wind turbines, which will result in the exclusion of most wind turbine companies that lack independent R&D and rely on price wars to gain market access. Wind power equipment manufacturers with strong R&D strength and offshore wind power operation experience have absolute advantages.

In fact, in addition to the harsh natural environment, China’s offshore wind power needs to achieve large-scale development. There are also difficulties. Extreme sea conditions such as typhoons threaten the existence of offshore shoals, and the environment of offshore shoals is very fragile. The difficulty in connecting wind power to the grid is a thorny barrier. In view of the inconvenience brought about by the marine environment, Chinese enterprises have completed the construction of most of the offshore wind power infrastructure on land, and the rapid installation at sea and the integration of transportation and installation.

After more than 10 years of development, the offshore wind power technology in the world has matured and it has begun to take shape. Offshore wind power has become the main direction for European countries to develop wind power in the future, and the development of offshore wind power is a very important aspect in our country regardless of market or resources. However, the construction, development and operation of offshore wind power are far more complicated than on-shore wind power. The acquisition of offshore wind power will not be a breeze. It needs to undergo various tests and we must be ready.

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