Could offshore wind farms help China transition from fossil fuels?

Deployment of offshore wind farms in China by mid-century could not only provide the largest market for the global wind industry in the upcoming decade, but it could offer also an important building block for China to transition away from fossil fuel-based energy systems, providing renewable power and generating green hydrogen.

Can offshore wind power be competitive with nuclear power in Guangdong?

When compared with the prices for nuclear alternatives, 1000 GW of offshore capacity could be available competitively, mainly in Fujian (300 GW), Liaoning (165 GW), Zhejiang (120 GW), Jiangsu (120 GW) and Shandong (70 GW). Offshore wind power is not yet cost-competitive with nuclear units in Guangdong due to less favorable wind conditions.

How does a wind farm model work?

The model combines a refined analysis of offshore wind resources and economics, considering the micro siting of wind farms with optimization of delivery systems, and simulations of hourly power system demands, identifying optimal plans for provincial investments in offshore installations, transmissions and storage.

Will China's offshore wind power reach 1500 GW in 2050?

For 2050, offshore wind capacity in China could reach as high as 1500 GW, constituting a major building-block for the carbon neutrality transition in China, promoting development of the world’s largest wind power market.

What will China's Wind power future look like in 2050?

For 2050, offshore wind capacity in China could reach as high as 1500 GW, prompting a paradigm shift in national transmission structure, favoring long-term storage in the energy portfolio, enabling green hydrogen production in coastal demand centers, resulting in the world’s largest wind power market.

Do grid integration barriers exist in offshore wind power?

Here we develop a bottom-up model to test the grid accommodation capabilities and design the optimal investment plans for offshore wind power considering resource distributions, hourly power system simulations, and transmission/storage/hydrogen investments. Results indicate that grid integration barriers exist currently at the provincial level.