China wasted 10 TWh of wind power in 2011 - CRES
Shanghai. April 10. INTERFAX-CHINA - Insufficient grid connections saw about 10 terawatt hours (TWh) of China's wind-generated power go unused in 2011, double the 2010 figure, resulting in unrealized revenue of more than RMB 5 billion ($793.65 million), the China Renewable Energy Society (CRES) said yesterday.
Major wind power bases such as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gansu and Jilin provinces accounted for the bulk of unused power, said the society.
While construction of a wind farm takes roughly six months, connecting the farm to the power grid typically takes much longer as grid operators currently lack economic incentives to accelerate grid expansion and keep up with the rapid growth of wind farms, industry expert Hu Yinan told Interfax.
According to data released by the global Wind Energy Council, as of the end of 2011 China had 45,894 wind turbines totaling 62.73 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity, making it the largest producer and consumer of wind power in the world.
Top wind power producing countries, end of 2011
| Country | Wind power installed capacity (GW) |
| China | 62.73 |
| U.S. | 46.91 |
| Germany | 29.06 |
| Spain | 21.67 |
| India | 16.08 |
| France | 6.18 |
| Italy | 6.74 |
| U.K. | 6.54 |
| Canada | 5.26 |
| Portugal | 4.08 |
| Rest of the world | 32.44 |
| Total | 238.35 |
Source: Global Wind Energy Council