China has achieved a major breakthrough in wind power development at ultra-high altitudes, with the world’s highest wind power project in Xizang Autonomous Region generating over 22 million kWh of electricity as of Tuesday.
Located in Xizang’s Baxoi County, the project features 20 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 5 megawatts, and generates 223 million kWh of clean electricity annually. This is enough to meet the yearly power needs of approximately 230,000 people.
The project, invested and constructed by companies including the Datang Xizang Energy Development Co., Ltd., sets a new record for China and the world in wind power projects in terms of altitude, with the highest nacelle at an altitude of 5,305 meters.
According to Xu Qiduo, manager of the wind farm, the project is a smart one that only needs eight to 10 people for wind turbine operations. Xu also noted that workers overcame a range of technical challenges, including blade stall and atypical condition control in the ultra-high altitude area.
The wind turbines were specially designed to withstand extreme environments and weather conditions, including extremely low temperatures, strong ultraviolet radiation, and frequent thunderstorms at ultra-high altitudes.
The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 182,800 tonnes annually and save about 73,100 tonnes of standard coal.
Xizang Autonomous Region has made ecology a priority, with clean energy accounting for nearly 90 percent of the region’s installed electric power capacity. China has continued to make breakthroughs in clean energy and green industry technology innovation in recent years.
The successful operation of this wind power project at an ultra-high altitude is expected to provide a reference for wind power generation in high-altitude areas globally, according to Shi Lei, a professor at the School of Ecology and Environment, Renmin University of China.
