Reflections on the development of wind power in Europe

According to the China Business Times, the EU is one of the most important economic communities in the world today.

In order to ensure energy security, diversify energy sources and address climate change, the EU is actively developing renewable energy. And effectively promote wind power, making it a priority and dominant position.

As early as the early 1990s, the EU proposed the goal of vigorously developing wind power. At that time, the target installed wind power capacity reached 40 million kilowatts in 2010, and asked its member states to develop corresponding wind power development plans based on this. The EU further revised its wind power development plan and targets at the beginning of this year, requiring wind power installed capacity to reach 80 million kilowatts by 2010.

In 2005, the installed capacity of wind power in the EU reached more than 40 million kilowatts, achieving development goals five years ahead of schedule. According to statistics, in 2006, the increase in installed capacity of power generation in the EU exceeded that of nuclear power, hydropower and coal power, second only to natural gas power generation, accounting for 30% of all new power generation capacity. In the initial stage of wind power, selecting some key areas and introducing wind power projects first is crucial for the strategic layout of wind power development in the entire region in the future. At that time, in the EU member states, due to the different conditions of energy resources, the degree of dependence on fossil energy is different, and the geographical and environmental conditions are different. The development of energy mode will directly affect the growth rate of GDP.

Denmark, Germany and Spain are called "Three Musketeers" and take the lead in wind power. They proceeded from the actual situation in their country, effectively introduced into the wind energy industry, and formed a set of commercial development models in line with market rules in the operation of the project.

According to statistics, up to now, Denmark's wind power installed capacity and power generation accounted for 25% and 20% of the country's total power generation capacity and power generation, respectively, while Germany was 17% and 7% respectively, Spain was 15% and 6 %.

Under the leadership of the "Three Musketeers", by the end of last year, the EU had installed wind power capacity of more than 1 million kilowatts in seven countries. Among the top 10 countries in the world's wind power installed capacity, EU member states accounted for seven.

In the development of the wind power industry, focusing on upgrading wind power technology and reducing costs most quickly is an important factor for the EU to become a global wind power leader.

Since the emergence of megawatt wind turbines in the 1990s, wind turbines above 1.5 megawatts have largely monopolized the European wind power market. It is reported that the European Union commissioned the European Wind Energy Association to develop standards and certification systems for wind turbine development, coordinate various wind turbine manufacturers, and at the same time of technological innovation, to relatively stable models and spectrum, avoid chaos, increase the versatility of parts and mutual Switching, improving reliability and stability, and reducing power generation costs are important goals.

According to estimates by the European Wind Energy Association, the investment cost of onshore wind power is 800-1150 Euro/kW, the cost of generating electricity is between 4-6 Euro cents/kWh, and the investment cost of offshore wind power is 1250 Euro-1800 Euro/kW. The cost is between 7.1-9.6 Euro cents/kWh and varies depending on resource conditions.

The World Wind Energy Council estimates that by 2020, the overall cost of the EU's onshore wind turbines can be reduced by 20%-25%, the cost of offshore wind power can be reduced by more than 40%, and the cost of power generation can be reduced by the same amount. In the development of the wind power industry, building a number of enterprise giants with cutting-edge technology will not only greatly enhance the overall level of wind power in the region, but also build a future global wind power market.

After more than ten years of expansion, Europe has not only produced a number of world-class wind power manufacturing companies such as Vestas, Gemei, Siemens, Annakang, but also attracted the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers such as GE in the US and Suzanne in India. Set up in Europe.

European companies have dominated the global wind power industry. According to statistics, last year, among the installed wind turbines in the world, European companies accounted for 85% of the products produced, and still accounted for 75% of the new shares in the previous year.

At present, the development of the wind power industry has also driven the development of European related system design, parts processing, wind power construction, metallurgical building materials, insurance, finance and other related industries. As the source of the three technologies of wind turbine doubly-fed gear drive, gearless direct drive and hybrid drive, the export of these technologies around the world has become an important aspect of the development of the European wind power industry.

In the development of the wind power industry, adopting a unified policy and enacting relevant laws and regulations is an important factor for the EU to successfully play the leading role of global wind power. It is reported that EU governments have supported the development of wind power industry through mandatory Internet access, price incentives (fixed electricity price system), tax incentives (energy and carbon taxes on conventional energy sources), investment subsidies and export credits.