Chinese-made turbines to harness Texan winds
Last week, VentureBeat reported that China is likely to overtake the U.S. in green innovation and manufacturing. Now they’re proving it, with an announcement that 36,000 acres spanning several counties in Texas will be developed for wind power using 240 turbines made by the Shenyang Power Group.
The turbines will be Shenyang’s 2.5 megawatt model — among the largest in the world. Totaling 600 megawatts, the unnamed west Texas wind farm will be one of the biggest capacity installations in the world. With $1.5 billion in financing from the Export-Import Bank of China, the project represents substantial Chinese investment in the U.S.’s green infrastructure.
Wind production in the U.S. is already far behind Europe’s. In 2005, les than a quarter of all wind equipment installed in the U.S. was made here. And so far, in 2009, there have been 33 percent fewer announced turbine factory expansions than in 2008.
Even though the wind farm itself is in the U.S., that doesn’t mean that its benefiting more than China. Cappy McGarr, a partner with the U.S. Renewable Energy Group, claims that of the 2,800 jobs created by the west Texas development, only 420 of them will be in the U.S. The rest will be overseas, infusing China’s green economy.
Shenyang may become a formidable competitor to General Electric, the largest wind turbine maker in the U.S. As it stands, GE produces roughly half of the new turbines installed in the country. It also bought itself a major advantage, acquiring patents to magnetically-controlled wind turbine technology. The magnetic drive cuts down on turbine maintenance needs, saving a significant amount of money.
In the meantime, however, Chinese green ventures are continuing to capture more and more market share in the U.S. and globally. “This is just the beginning,” said Lu Jinxiang of A-Power Energy Generation Systems, Shenyang’s parent company. He also called the U.S. an “ideal target” as China ramps up its green manufacturing strategy. Hopefully he meant “market.”
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About the Author, Tom Slater
Tom Slater is a freelance green technology reporter. He graduated from Evergreen State College and now lives in Oakland after working in the wilds of Utah and Colorado.