Dawning of Wind Energy's 'Golden Age' in China. Commentary, Junfeng Li, Worldwatch Institute, June 2, 2007. "A recent boom in Chinese wind power development has surpassed the government's original target and forced policymakers to set a new goal that might still be too modest. In 2007, cumulative wind installations in China exceeded 5 gigawatts, the goal originally set for 2010 by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner. The [Commission's]... 2006 mid- and long-term [renewable energy] development... plan's target for 2020 was 30 GW, a level that is now projected to be reached by 2012, eight years ahead of schedule. In March, the NDRC revised its mid-term target, doubling it from 5 to 10 GW for 2010. Yet this new goal is still too modest, with wind installations likely to reach 20 GW by 2010 and 100 GW by 2020. China is witnessing the start of a golden age of wind power development, and the magnitude of growth has caught even policymakers off guard... Currently, coal-fired power still provides the lion's share of China's energy, at roughly 70%. In 2007, the country added some 88.3 GW of coal-power generation capacity, an increase of 14%. However, the country registered a decline of 9% in coal-power capacity in 2006. Wind power is said to already be more cost effective than oil, natural gas, and nuclear power generation in China. As the stability and predictability of the sector attract greater investment, it is widely believed that wind power will be able to compete with coal generation by as early as 2015. That will be the turning point in China, which by then will be the world's largest energy consumer." Junfeng Li is Secretary General of the China Renewable Energy Industries Association and co-author of the Worldwatch Institute Report Powering China's Development: The Role of Renewable Energy.
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