In 2023, China broke another amazing record by ordering 100 gigawatts (GW) worth of wind turbines, according to Wood Mackenzie, a research group. However, the installation of these turbines was much slower and delayed than they had originally expected, with only half of the orders from 2022 being finished by the end of 2023.
Goldwind, a Chinese company, became the top wind turbine seller, getting 17.7% of all orders. Envision Energy, based in Shanghai, came next with 17.4% of orders and also got the most orders from other countries, totaling 4.1 GW. Mingyang was third, getting 16.1% of the orders, and they’re known for supplying offshore wind turbines.
The competitive landscape in China’s wind turbine manufacturing industry drove prices down to historic lows, resulting in decreased profits for manufacturers. Despite this, companies like SANY Renewable Energy pushed technological boundaries by producing the world’s longest onshore wind turbine blade, the SY1310A, measuring a staggering 430 feet (131 meters) in length.
These blades, with a diameter spanning over 860 feet (262 meters), boast advanced features such as enhanced strength, intelligence, and reduced weight, along with specialized anti-lightning capabilities to withstand extreme weather conditions.
SANY achieved this feat through cutting-edge technology, including high-performance airfoil design, optimized layout, and precise manufacturing processes involving robotics for fiberglass cutting and unique composite blade creation techniques.
The world’s longest blade is designed to be paired with SANY’s 15-megawatt (MW) wind turbine unit, which debuted as the world’s largest at the China Wind Power 2023 exhibition in Beijing.
China’s commitment to renewable energy is evident in its plans to increase wind and solar power’s contribution to the country’s installed power generation capacity to around 40% by the end of 2024, up from 36% in 2023, as highlighted by the China Electricity Council’s latest annual report.