Background

The Chinese power grid is largely dominated by coal-fired electricity, with new coal power stations coming online regularly. The province of Shandong in China has a good wind resource that could be utilised for power generation that will help in the reduction in GHG emissions. The project will improve air quality and local livelihoods and promote development in the renewable energy industry.

The project

The Qingdao Huawei wind farm sits on the coast approximately 60km from Qingdao City in Shandong Province, NE China, surrounded by long stretches of salt pans and rolling hills.

In total there are 15 wind turbines spread across 3 locations in the area. 8 x 1.3 MW wind turbines are sited on a hill known as Phoenix Mountain, 4 x 1.3 MW and 2 x 250 kW are located at nearby Camel Mountain and 1 x 250kW wind turbine can be found on the coastal salt marshes. The total generation capacity is 16.35 MW. The annual electricity generation is expected to be approximately 30,000 MWh per year, which is equivalent to the annual supply of more than 7,000 UK households with clean renewable electricity. This power will be supplied directly to the heavily coal dominated North East China Power Grid.

Other benefits

Social:
The local community have benefited from the wind farm through an annual payment made by the wind farm company to a specially designed community fund. This money is split between the 5 surrounding villages and the village leader (Commissioner) decides how this money is spent. All money must be accountable for and spent in an open and transparent fashion. It is used to pay for village infrastructure, such as improving roads and drinking water systems. This money is making a significant difference in the local community, where the land is rocky and unfertile and people struggle to make a living.

120 people were employed during the 3 year construction period of the wind farm. Today, more than 30 workers are employed by the wind farm company to manage the operation and maintenance of the wind farm, many of whom are from the local area.

Economic:
The Qingdao wind farm is contributing to stimulating the wind power industry in China.
The wind farm also attracts quite a few visitors each month boosting the local economy.

Environmental:
The Qingdao wind farm generates clean renewable electricity in a country dominated by coal-fired generation. This will result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants such as SO2 and soot compared to a business-as-usual scenario.