The implementation of supportive policies has reignited interest in the countryside wind power market. Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs jointly issued a "Notice on organizing and carrying out the 'thousands of Villages to control Wind Action'". This notice stipulates that in rural areas w
The implementation of supportive policies has reignited interest in the countryside wind power market. Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs jointly issued a "Notice on organizing and carrying out the 'thousands of Villages to control Wind Action'". This notice stipulates that in rural areas with suitable conditions, villages are to be developed as units for local wind power projects. The aim is to explore new models of investment and construction through "village enterprise cooperation" and establish a new income distribution mechanism based on "co-construction and sharing", ultimately promoting a pattern of wind power development that benefits villagers by increasing collective income.
Despite challenges faced by distributed photovoltaic "whole county promotion", the release of this notice has injected fresh momentum into China's domestic wind power market. Qin Haiyan, secretary general of the Wind Energy Professional Committee at China Renewable Energy Society, even regards the "thousands of Villages to control Wind Action" policy as an important milestone that will leave its mark on China's history of wind power development."
The positive market response is easily understandable. From a technical perspective, the current fan manufacturing, project design, and engineering construction technologies are fully capable of meeting the demands of rural wind power. There are minimal new technical challenges in each aspect. Furthermore, within the broader context of striving for carbon neutrality, it is imperative for renewable energy to undergo vigorous development and break through existing growth points to discover new incremental space. Large-scale development, low-wind speed wind power, and offshore wind power have become increasingly stable options. The concept of rural wind power undoubtedly represents an effort to explore new possibilities for wind power within the framework of rural revitalization.
However, the "encouragement" stance at the national level must be translated into practical support policies in order to address the dilemmas encountered during previous decentralized wind power development. Premature optimism is therefore unwarranted.
Taking land usage as an example, Wu Gang—chairman of Goldwind Technology and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference—has twice submitted relevant proposals for rural wind power development during National Two Sessions in 2021 and 2022. Regarding land occupation issues, Wu Gang noted that China's land management has become increasingly stringent with adjusted land planning and complicated approval procedures. Consequently, some wind power projects are constructed preemptively due to difficulties associated with prolonged shutdowns; however, once planning changes occur later on, these projects may easily be deemed non-compliant."
The guidance provided in the "Notice" regarding land issues pertains to "the right to use shares". In order to achieve the goal of securing a village collective dividend of 50,000 to 100,000 yuan per year for a 5 MW wind turbine, the village collective's share typically amounts to about 10%. However, certain development enterprises have calculated that, based on the actual land area of wind power projects, the proportion of land use rights in capital after investment usually only ranges from 1% to 2%.
Furthermore, given that electricity consumption is not high in rural areas, the primary concept of local consumption can be effectively implemented. As for photovoltaic "whole county promotion", it has encountered challenges related to access and grid connection difficulties. The question remains: how much potential does wind power hold for rural areas? Lastly, as we transition from an "approval system" approach towards a "filing system", time will ultimately reveal whether or not we are truly able to simplify development procedures.