CHINA is leading global efforts to shift to cleaner energy sources, with robust development in its wind and photovoltaic power industries supported by strengthened innovation and resilient industrial chains. By the end of June, China’s installed photovoltaic power capacity was 470 million kilowatts, topping globally for an eighth consecutive year, and its installed wind power capacity was 389 million kilowatts, topping globally for a 13th consecutive year, data from the National Energy Administration (NEA) show. Building on its large industrial scales, the country is accelerating the upgrading of its wind and solar power industries to achieve higher quality of development. In the wind power sector, key technology breakthroughs such as the invention of super long blades have been made continuously, with China surpassing other international players in large-scale and floating wind power platform technologies, according to Li Chuangjun, director of the NEA’s new energy and renewable energy department. The world’s first 16-megawatt offshore wind turbine, located off the coast of eastern China’s Fujian Province, has the largest single-unit generating capacity of any turbine in operation around the world. It was successfully connected to the grid and began generating electricity in July. From China’s southernmost island province of Hainan to the traditionally coal-producing Shanxi Province in the north, wind power industry clusters are taking form across the country. At a demonstration wind farm in Tongyu County, northeastern China’s Jilin Province, wind turbine blades with impeller diameters of 195 meters are working hard. The blades are made of carbon fiber materials, which are lighter and stronger than conventional materials. The manufacturers of the blades are located over 10 kilometers away in the county’s central town, where other companies producing key wind turbine components — from nacelles and support towers to screws and anchor bolts — can also be found. “China’s wind power industry has become a star sector with international competitiveness thanks to relatively complete industrial and supply chains,” said Du Zhongming, president of the Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute. The country’s solar power industry is also making accelerated progress in technological innovation, with advanced products being applied more broadly, according to Yang Xudong, an official of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Cell technology is a key part of the photovoltaic industry upgrade. A type of photovoltaic cell module produced by Tongwei Solar (Chengdu) Co. has recently hit a record module efficiency high, certified by TüV Rheinland, a Germany-based leading testing and certification service provider. (Xinhua) | 