Grantee Research Project Results
Wind Energy Assessment in China
EPA Grant Number: R824739Title: Wind Energy Assessment in China
Investigators: Rackstraw, Kevin
Institution: American Wind Energy Association
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: October 1, 1995 through September 30, 1997
Project Amount: $159,972
RFA: Incentives and Impediments to Pollution Prevention (1995) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development
Description:
This project seeks to facilitate and accelerate the large-scale use of wind energy technologies which bring power to load centers and remote areas in the PRC through conduct of wind mapping, site-specific monitoring, and technology and project promotion. These activities will demonstrate wind's potential contribution to the country's total power scheme. Several wind farm projects totaling several hundred MW have already received support at the provincial level in known strong wind resource areas, but there is very little information about the total contribution that wind energy could make for both bulk scale and rural electrification purposes. The results of the project will be a wind map of three specific areas in three different provinces, a validation and accumulation of new wind data, and newfound support within the provincial and national decision making arenas to accelerate the development of wind projects.Specifically, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will obtain existing wind and other meteorological data that would be useful in performing a comprehensive analysis of the wind characteristics, obtain site descriptions and histories for stations where wind data have been collected, obtain available geographic data bases in digital form for use in computerized mapping system, analyze the available wind data to characterize the wind resource, and finally, develop wind resource maps that show the estimated distribution of the annual average wind resource. The analysis will include wind direction distribution and mean speed by direction, diurnal variability and interannual variability. Data sources will include ground stations, weather balloons, ships and satellite imagery.
Approach:
- Demonstrate to PRC power sector officials at both the provincial and national level that wind energy can provide within the next five to ten years thousands or even tens of thousands of MW of clean electric generating capacity on a cost-effective basis, thereby significantly reducing China's projected greenhouse gas emissions.
- Accelerate consideration of wind projects through the achievement of favored status as a clean, rapidly deployable and modular technology.
- Identify areas or sites for potential wind farm or rural electrification projects.
- Strengthen in-country capability to analyze wind resources and make a credible case for favoring wind projects over other power generation options.
- Help U.S. industry win a large market share of wind projects in the world's largest electric generation market, where European competitors have a significant head start through tied aid.
There is a high level of confidence that the wind mapping activities and the site-specific monitoring will greatly enhance the prospects of wind being utilized as a source of power generation in China. While this data will make the case for wind stronger, the effect it will have on certain political decisions is impossible to predict.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
air, global climate, greenhouse gas emissions, human health, air pollution, renewable, clean technologies, alternatives, sustainable development, public policy, decision-making, engineering, monitoring, surveys, wind resource assessment, China, electricity, energy, wind energy, wind farms., Scientific Discipline, Sustainable Industry/Business, cleaner production/pollution prevention, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Engineering, China, cleaner production, sustainable development, energy efficiency, site-specific monitoring, wind mapping, Asia, pollution preventionRelevant Websites:
http://www.awea.orghttp://www.nrel.gov
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.