【By Guan Chaolou, Yu Jianqi】
According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), China's investment in clean energy exceeded 625 billion U.S. dollars last year, nearly doubling from 2015. Chinese companies produce more than 80% of the world's wind turbines, solar panels and energy storage batteries. Under the joint push of policy support, domestic competition and technological breakthroughs, the cost of wind turbines in China has significantly decreased.
This has genuinely injected "inclusive momentum" into the global energy transition, making stable and affordable green electricity an accessible choice for more countries, especially those in the Global South. However, some Western politicians in the United States and the European Union have politicized the energy issue, frequently targeting Chinese companies under the pretext of "national security," fabricating claims about "overcapacity," and arbitrarily initiating trade investigations and raising bidding thresholds to create obstacles.
"I always ask them: (without using Chinese technology), are you ready to pay the price for higher energy costs?" Wu Kai, vice president of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology, directly hit the point when talking about these baseless accusations.
As one of China's largest wind turbine manufacturers, Goldwind holds an important position in the industry. According to a report by the Financial Times on the 17th, Wu Kai, who is responsible for the company's international business, said he "fully understands" the foreign governments' desire to deepen local supply chains and create jobs, but at the same time warned that if Western countries exclude Chinese companies from their own wind power industries, they must be prepared for increased wind power costs.
Wu Kai pointed out that China's cost advantage in wind turbine manufacturing has become "very significant," being at least 40% lower than that of its Western competitors. And the increase in wind turbine costs will eventually be passed on to consumers, leading to higher electricity prices.
Wu Kai said that compared with China, the development cycle and construction costs of wind power projects in the West are longer and higher. He gave an example, saying that the expected salary of some Western engineering graduates can reach as high as 140,000 U.S. dollars (approximately 997,600 RMB), while the same budget in China can hire at least three employees for the same position.
"Everyone wants to get the highest salary and do the least work, but this is not realistic," he said.
According to the report, Wu Kai also called for enhanced international cooperation in the wind power industry. He believes that Chinese companies still have a lot to learn from Europe, such as the EU's mature financing models and technical standards for wind power projects.
In China, the cost of renewable energy has already fallen below coal power generation. (Coal > Hydropower > Offshore Wind Power > Solar PV > Onshore Wind Power) The Financial Times, illustration
On October 13, during a press conference held by the State Council Information Office, Wang Jun, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs, stated that wind power exports have "accelerated" this year, with the export of wind power generating sets and parts increasing by 23.9%, with the export of wind power generating sets to countries along the "Belt and Road" growing by 58%.
The Financial Times cited Wood Mackenzie, an energy consulting company, which predicted that due to strong domestic growth and active overseas expansion plans, Chinese wind turbine manufacturers will dominate the global wind power industry over the next decade.
The institution predicts that Chinese companies will occupy about 27% of the overseas installed capacity market share, mainly concentrated in emerging markets; while the European and American markets will still be dominated by companies such as Vestas, Siemens Gamesa and Nordex.
The report mentioned that in the domestic market, Goldwind and its peers are increasingly shifting their focus to offshore wind power projects. Although these projects are more costly and technically challenging, they also have higher power generation capacity.
Earlier, Bloomberg News reported that in response to market adjustments after the cancellation of domestic new energy grid-connected electricity subsidies and the scarcity of nearshore quality resources, Chinese wind turbine manufacturers have turned to large-scale development over the past five years. By developing larger projects and giant turbines, they provide clean energy for coastal cities in China and have significantly reduced wind power prices.
Data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance shows that "the average cost of China's offshore wind power is now less than half of that of the second-largest offshore wind power market, the UK."
However, replicating China's advantages in this field is much more difficult than in other renewable energy areas where China has already taken the lead, such as solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles.
American media analysis points out that the core obstacle lies in the "gigantic" nature of these turbines. "The height of China's offshore wind turbines may even exceed the Eiffel Tower in France. Their assembly work is more akin to a large infrastructure project rather than traditional manufacturing scale. Moreover, many tasks need to be completed in areas close to the final installation location." Such scale and efficiency are unimaginable in Western countries' projects.
Trivium China's energy analyst Cosimo Ries also pointed out, "Chinese wind turbine manufacturers will occupy most of the market share, partly because of their fundamental cost advantage, and partly because many Western companies currently face numerous difficulties and cannot expand production or invest as Chinese companies do."
Yujia Han, a researcher stationed in Washington by the Global Energy Monitor, further stated, "China's offshore wind power project reserves have always maintained strong momentum, thanks to its comprehensive advantages in financing, supply chain integration, policy support and technological improvements."
"China has a vast and diverse market 'test field,' which provides domestic companies with a platform to accumulate technology and drive innovation, which are key elements in building global competitiveness," she added.
In stark contrast, offshore wind power in Europe and the United States is currently facing a cooling trend. Even in Europe, the heartland that nurtured the offshore wind power industry after the oil crisis in the 1970s, offshore wind power projects are gradually losing popularity due to insufficient government support and continuously rising costs.
As for the United States, which has taken a step backward in history, its approach is even more extreme. Trump immediately declared war on wind energy upon taking office, absurdly claiming that wind turbines "kill birds," directly halting new approvals for offshore wind power projects and forcing a project nearing completion to stop, causing the stock price of Danish developer Orsted A/S to plummet dramatically.
However, China's giant wind turbines have not yet been widely used abroad. According to American media reports, currently, only the Taranto offshore wind farm in southern Italy uses Chinese wind turbines.
Zhang Qiyong, chairman and chief technology officer of another major Chinese wind turbine manufacturer, Mingyang Group, emphasized to American media that the European market needs to change its fixed perception of Chinese manufacturers and accept more innovative new products with an open attitude.
"I am confident that this day will come — it will bring cleaner and cheaper offshore wind power," Zhang Qiyong said, "but the prerequisite is to break down existing barriers."
This article is an exclusive contribution from Guan Chaolou. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562182623456494126/
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