How does the Himalayan wind light up the lights of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?

On August 3, my country's highest-altitude wind power project was successfully connected to the grid in Zhegu Town, Cuomei County, Tibet. This is the largest wind turbine unit in my country's ultra-high altitude area and the first wind power project to be connected to the main power grid in Tibet. After the project is fully put into operation, the annual power generation will exceed 200 million kWh, which can meet the annual electricity consumption of nearly 140,000 households in the surrounding area.

Why build a wind farm on the "Roof of the World"? What difficulties need to be overcome in building a high-altitude wind farm? How does the wind from the Himalayas light up the lights in Tibet? Let's take a look ↓

What difficulties will be overcome in building a wind farm on the “Roof of the World”?

The conditions in high altitude areas are relatively bad in terms of transportation and climate. There is no experience to draw on when building wind farms on the "Roof of the World". In this case, the following problems need to be solved:

1. Concrete temperature control problem. The construction site is cold with a large temperature difference between day and night. During the construction of the fan foundation, strict measures such as adding a heat preservation shed and laying electric blankets are required to ensure that the concrete will not crack.

2. Poor wind turbine hoisting conditions. Wind turbine equipment hoisting requires a relatively low wind speed, but the site is windy all year round, so it is necessary to accurately arrange the hoisting plan through on-site wind speed prediction;

3. Long-distance transportation of large items. Large wind turbine equipment needs to be transported from thousands of kilometers away to the site, passing through many steep, narrow and complex sections;

4. Difficulty in construction. The on-site construction environment is harsh, and construction workers are prone to altitude sickness, resulting in frequent personnel turnover and difficulty in construction management.

Why build a wind farm on the “Roof of the World”?

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has rich wind energy resources. The wind energy reserves in the Tibet Autonomous Region are about 190 million kilowatts, ranking eighth in the country. At present, the energy structure of the Tibet Autonomous Region is mainly hydropower and photovoltaic power generation, with hydropower accounting for 89.81% of the total power generation and solar power accounting for 7.73%, with the characteristics of "full in summer and lack in winter, full in day and lack at night".

Wang Liang, head of the Shannan branch of Tibet Energy Investment Co., Ltd. of the Three Gorges Group, said that the Cuomei Zhegu Wind Farm often generates the most power in winter, and the peak electricity consumption period at night on weekdays is also the best time for the wind farm to generate electricity, which plays a certain role in improving Tibet’s power supply structure.

What is the unique design of my country’s highest-altitude wind turbine?

The low air density at high altitudes causes the wind turbine to rotate slower at the same wind speed, which reduces the power generation. To sum it up in one sentence: "The wind is strong, but it can't carry it."

The Cuomeizhegu wind power project selected wind turbines with longer blades to increase the wind sweeping area of ​​the unit and enhance the wind capture capacity. The impeller diameter of the Cuomeizhegu wind farm unit is about 20 meters longer than that of the same power units in other regions, and the wind sweeping area has increased by nearly 30%.

In order to address the problems of high ultraviolet intensity, drastic changes in high and low temperatures, frequent erosion by wind, sand, rain and snow in ultra-high altitude environments, the blade surface is coated with a highly weather-resistant, highly wear-resistant and highly elastic gel coat and topcoat to delay blade aging.

In response to frequently encountered airflow disturbances, the aerodynamic shape design of the blades has also been optimized to improve the blades' adaptability to airflow and stabilize the power output of the unit.

After a series of targeted and unique designs, the life of the plateau wind turbines designed and manufactured for the Comezhegu project in Tibet has reached the same level as inland wind turbines, that is, more than 20 years.

Does the construction of ultra-high altitude wind farms have any impact on the ecology?

In order to reduce the impact of wind farm construction on the local ecological environment, the wind turbines were designed to use land as intensively as possible, changing 22 units to 15. The wind turbines were also basically located on the ridge line to reduce the impact on local people's grazing.

At the same time, in order to protect the topsoil of the site, a topsoil storage base was set up next to the substation during construction. After the project is completed, the topsoil will be restored to its original state and sprinkled with grass seeds to restore its vibrant appearance.

From the ocean to the land, from the plains to the plateaus and even the desert, in recent years, my country has continued to promote the construction of large-scale wind power, photovoltaics and other renewable energy.

As of the first half of 2023, the installed capacity of renewable energy in China reached 1.322 billion kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 18.2%, historically exceeding coal-fired power, accounting for about 48.8% of my country's total installed capacity. Among them, wind power installed capacity was 389 million kilowatts, and the power generation in the first half of the year was 462.8 billion kWh, a year-on-year increase of 20%.

▌Source of this article: CCTV News WeChat Official Account (ID: cctvnewscenter)

Producer/Wang Xingdong

Editor-in-Chief/Wang Xuan

CGTN reporter/Zhang Wei and Zhang Congjing

Editor/Zhang Biqin

Proofreading/Gao Shaozhuo