Wind farm "old trees" sprout "new shoots"

Source: China Electric Power News

In the vast Gobi Desert, an old wind farm has achieved phoenix nirvana and rebirth.

From 1.5 MW to 2.0 MW to 2.5 MW, until Ningxia's first "big instead of small" pilot project - Zhongwei Xiangshan Wind Farm Renewal Pilot Project 6.25 MW inland large-scale units were launched, recording the development and changes of mainstream wind power models in China in the past ten years, and becoming a milestone in the upgrading and transformation of old wind farms. On July 19, the project celebrated its first anniversary of being connected to the grid at full capacity.

What breakthroughs in the wind power industry are behind the transformation of a wind farm? How can old wind farms achieve "nirvana rebirth"? The wind farm's "big instead of small" renewal pilot project provides the answer.

Get a new lease on life

Old wind farms "break out of the cocoon into butterflies"

Zhongwei City is one of the areas with the richest wind energy resources in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The mountains in the south of Zhongwei are undulating, and the main peak is magnificent, which is "fragrant mountain". Zhongwei Xiangshan Wind Farm is located here.

"Since the beginning of the 21st century, has made every effort to promote the coordinated development of centralized and distributed new energy. In 2011, Xiangshan Wind Farm was officially put into operation, becoming the first grid-connected wind farm in Shapotou District, Zhongwei City, Ningxia, and the largest wind farm in Shapotou District. Wu Yang, deputy general manager of Zhongwei New Energy of State Power Investment Corporation, told China Energy Media reporter that the wind farm has a total installed capacity of 148.5 megawatts and has been in operation for more than 12 years before the transformation.

Since 2021, in order to improve energy efficiency, extend the life of wind farms, and reduce operation and maintenance costs, the wind farm has begun to transform the wind farm to improve quality and efficiency. Through the unremitting efforts of the project builders, the original 99 small wind turbines of 1.5 MW have been transformed into 24 large windmills of 6.25 MW. The project uses 6.25 MW of Sany Renewable EnergyWind power equipmentWith the total capacity unchanged, the number of wind turbines has been reduced by three-quarters, and the unit availability has increased to more than 99.7%.

"When the upgrading began, the epidemic had not yet been completely released, the transportation of crew members and the movement of personnel were restricted, and the Gobi Desert was even more bitterly cold. However, in order to put the project into production as soon as possible, we prioritized production scheduling, coordinated transportation, and increased manpower, and the number of personnel on the project site was doubled. Dong Xinfeng, the project manager and person in charge of Sany Renewable Energy Zhongwei Xiangshan, remembers the scene vividly.

"With this project as the carrier, has realized the implementation of a number of innovative projects, including 3 utility patents and 2 group research projects. Wu Yang said that Zhongwei Xiangshan Wind Farm aims to promote the quality and efficiency of existing wind power projects, relying on the model of "isochoric renewal + capacity increase" to fully tap the value of land and wind energy resources of old wind farms.

It is reported that the second phase of construction of the project will be started after the isovolume replacement.The total installed capacity of the second phase of the project is also 148.5 MW, and there is no need to re-acquire land, and the capacity will be increased in the original wind farm, and 6.25 MW wind turbines from Sany Renewable Energy will still be used.

"Replacing small with large" has greatly improved the efficiency and income of power generation, released more blank slots under the same wind resource conditions, effectively saved land resources, and upgraded the wind catching capacity of the unit by leaps and bounds, so as to generate more electricity with fewer wind turbines.

The potential is limitless

The market space of "replacing small with big" is beginning to appear

More than 10 years ago, Ningxia, known as the "plugged Jiangnan", successfully boarded the express train of China's new energy development with its unique scenery resources, and became the country's first new energy comprehensive demonstration zone. Here, wind farms have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, building a "green line of defense" in the northwest region.

More than 10 years later, in the face of the challenge of "aging" wind farms, Ningxia has once again become the vanguard of national reform.

In 2021, Ningxia issued the Notice on Carrying out the Pilot Project of "Replacing Small with Large" Old Wind Farms in Ningxia, becoming a pioneer in the transformation and upgrading of wind farms.

In June 2023, the National Energy Administration promulgated the Administrative Measures for the Renovation, Upgrading and Decommissioning of Wind Farms (hereinafter referred to as the "Administrative Measures"), filling the policy gap in China's management of wind farm renovation, upgrading and decommissioning.

The "Management Measures" proposes to transform and upgrade wind farms that have been in operation for more than 15 years or have a single unit capacity of less than 1.5 megawatts. This measure indicates that after the large wind power base, offshore wind power, and rural wind power, the upgrading and transformation of wind farms will become a new growth pole for the development of wind power in China.

According to data from the China Wind Energy Association, by the end of 2023, 12 million kilowatts of wind turbines have been in operation for more than 15 years, and there is a need for transformation and upgrading. It is expected that by the end of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, there will be about 93 million kilowatts of wind turbines of 1.5 megawatts and below models facing transformation and upgrading, and the market prospect is broad.

From the perspective of unit capacity, according to statistics, the unit capacity of units that have been in operation for more than 10 years is mainly concentrated in models below 2 MW, and the unit capacity of units that have been in operation for more than 15 years is mainly concentrated in units below 1 MW. Most of the wind turbines that will expire in 2025 will be 0.5~1 MW models, and most of the wind turbines that will expire in 2030 will be 1~2 MW models. After the upgrade and transformation of "replacing small with large", the blank turbine sites in areas with wind resource advantages will release more installed space.

From the perspective of regional wind resources, the wind farms with more urgent needs for upgrading and transformation are mainly concentrated in Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei and Jiangsu. Industry experts said that by the end of 2025, the scale of wind turbines with potential technological transformation needs in the "Three Norths" region is about 38 million kilowatts.

"Developers are very optimistic about the 'big instead of small' market, but at present, they are mostly in a wait-and-see attitude. The main reason is the problem of electricity price subsidies, if there is no clear policy definition, it is impossible to estimate the return on investment, and it will not be easy to start 'replacing the small with the big'. Liu Jianting, key account manager of Sany Renewable Energy, said.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission's Notice on Matters Concerning the 2021 New Energy Feed-in Tariff Policy, starting from 2021, the central government will no longer subsidize newly approved onshore wind power projects, and grid parity will be implemented. The "big instead of small" age-appropriate wind farms will be completed and put into operation before 2021, and all of them enjoy national financial subsidies. If it is rebuilt during the subsidy period, it will face the problem of how to liquidate the follow-up subsidy.

Taking the upgrading and reconstruction project of Zhongwei Xiangshan Wind Farm of the State Power Investment Corporation as an example, it is reported that the first phase of the project will adopt the continuation of the subsidy policy until 2031, and after the expiration, the feed-in tariff will be implemented according to the new grid-connected project, and the second phase of the capacity increase project will implement the feed-in tariff according to the new project.

The reporter found that since the release of the "Management Measures", Zhejiang, Hebei, Gansu, Ningxia, Fujian and other provinces and regions have issued notices on the declaration of wind farm transformation, upgrading and decommissioning in 2024. Among them, Ningxia's "Notice on Carrying out the Pilot Project of "Replacing Small with Large" Renewal of Ningxia's Old Wind Farms clearly states that equal capacity renewal and unexpired subsidies are the two conditions for enjoying the original subsidized electricity price. According to the requirements of different local policies and electricity prices, the upgrading and transformation of Zhongwei Xiangshan Wind Farm provides a reference for the transformation of wind farms in other regions through the practice of subsidy policies.

With the advancement of the pilot construction, the support policies of local governments are gradually being refined. With the gradual improvement of the electricity market and the green certificate and green power trading mechanism, the renovated wind farms can obtain stable income, thereby stimulating more investment and participation.

It is foreseeable that as many wind turbines enter the aging, the transformation and upgrading of the wind power market is about to enter a peak period.