Back in January, a reader wrote: "Goldwind WTG are BAD, very poor quality and, obviously, shitty service and maintenance!" The comment touches upon a rising issue in China - wind power supply quality. Industry consensus says the quality isn't there yet, that the country's breakneck growth (>100% in 2007) doesn't allow for the sophisticated quality controls implemented in the West. At the same time, other sources claim at least 20% of China's MW installed isn't even grid connected. Insider anecdotes suggest an ensuing turbine graveyard evolving across Inner Mongolia with rusting 750kW and 600kW turbines.
Two points I'd make about this. First, China clearly needs to move along the turbine manufacturing learning curve and has little apologies to make. It is convenient for foreign suppliers to knock Chinese quality, but this is in the end a losing game as the Chinese scale up and take on European suppliers internationally, incrementally improving quality along the way. This is all part of the process. Maybe you're not going to see the first 2.5 MW machines a Chinese supplier produces operating with 98% availability, but thats all part of the process.
Secondly, let's be real about the 'environmental friendliness' of Chinese windpower. China is in the midst of a major Beijing Games 2008 marketing push to look green. Throwing up wind turbines forms part of that effort. But one must remember that MW installed are still a far cry from MWh here, though the political will, and the long term prospects are headed in the right direction.
