Tuesday 31 May 2011

Eastday-Sinovel wind turbine set to blow strongly

Sinovel wind turbine set to blow strongly
2011-05-31 08:33

CHINA'S largest wind equipment marker Sinovel Wind Group Co has unveiled the nation's first 6-megawatt wind turbine to challenge global leaders such as Denmark's Vestas.

"With the development of the wind industry, especially advances in offshore wind technology, the development of larger wind turbines has become an inevitable trend," Tao Gang, Sinovel's senior vice president, said yesterday.

Turbine makers, which now rely on 1.5MW, 2.5WM and 3MW turbines for the bulk of their sales, are developing bigger turbines.

Vestas, the world's largest turbine maker by market share, in March unveiled a 7MW offshore turbine, which may be in production in early 2015. Britain, the United States and Norway as well as Beijing-based Sinovel have started developing a 10MW prototype.

After years of robust expansion, China overtook the US last year as the nation with the biggest installed wind capacity. But analysts said annual installation may have peaked in 2010 and turbine makers may struggle this year amid overcapacity and keen price competition.

"We are pessimistic about the wind equipment sector," said Patrick Dai, a UBS Securities analyst. He suggested domestic players should seek more overseas contracts to tap on their price advantage.

Source:Shanghai Daily