Wind turbines for Shanghai's green energy goals

• Source: Global Times
• [15:59 February 24 2010]
• Comments

By Zhang Cao
 
Two wind turbine generators were installed Monday at the Donghai Bridge Offshore Wind Farm, 8 to 14 kilometers southeast of Shanghai’s Nanhui coast.
 
The huge turbines were transported from Xiaoyangshan Island by the Shanghai Maritime Safety Bureau, crossing two busy shipping lanes and fishing zones, according to Huang Yongchang, the director of the Yangshan Port Maritime Section. 
 
The turbines are included in the Donghai Bridge 100 megawatts (MW) Offshore Wind Power Demonstration Program. Once the last of the turbines are installed at the end of February, the 34 turbines will produce 102 MW of renewable energy for Shanghai residents.
 
“The whole program will begin on June 1st. The electricity it produces will be transmitted to the Shanghai Power Network to be used in Shanghai housholds,” said Dai Chenghong, manager of the engineering department of Shanghai Green Energy Company, an inverstor of the wind farm.   
 
This program is the first offshore wind power program in Asia, according to the official website of Shanghai Municipal Government. The farm is expected to produce nearly 25,184 kilowats each year, helping Shanghai meet its ambitious renewable energy targets.
 
The wind turbines are 90 meters high, with 50-meter long blades. Lu Zhongming, the general engineer of this offshore wind farm, said that these turbines would be totally safe in a typoon with wind speeds of 50 meters per second (mps). They shut-down at wind speeds of 20 mps.
 
The Shanghai Municipal Government enacted a regulation last December to promote the development of renewable energy. By 2012, wind power generators are expected to provide 500 MW of energy in Shanghai.