China wastes less wind power in 2017

China’s wind power curtailment volume fell by 7.8 billion kWh in 2017 compared with that in 2016, while its curtailment rate dropped 5.2 percent year-on-year, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA).

Oversupply, system inflexibility and transmission bottlenecks prevented some of the wind power generated in China, the world’s largest wind power market, from going to load centers.

Northwestern regions once troubled with curtailment issues saw improvement last year, with Gansu province reporting a 10-percent-plus drop in the curtailment rate.

China aims to reduce the amount of power from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and hydro, wasted by 2020, the NEA said late last year.

The country plans to raise the percentage of renewable and non-fossil fuel power consumption to 15 percent of the total energy mix by 2020 and to 20 percent by 2030. (China’s renewable energy installed capacity reached 650 million kW at the end of last year, up 14 percent year-on-year, and its share of total installed power capacity rose 2.1 percent compared with 2016.