Taiwan and China's wind energy associations signed Tuesday a letter of
intent to cooperate in the industry, a step that will allow Taiwanese
firms to enter China, the fastest-growing wind power market, and other
international markets.
The agencies agreed to create a regular exchange platform,
cooperate in industry standards and training, and work together to open
international markets. The Taiwan Wind Energy Association and the China
Wind Energy Association signed the letter of intent on the second and
final day of a cross-strait wind energy forum.
China more than doubled its installed wind power capacity in
2008 to 12.21 gigawatts, making it the world's fourth-largest wind
power base by installed capacity, according to the World Wind Energy
Association.
By 2020, China may raise its installed wind power capacity
to between 50 GW and 80 GW, but this kind of rapid growth will bring
problems in power grid construction, power subsidies, and technology,
Liu Qi, deputy head of China's National Energy Administration, said in
a statement.
"If Taiwan and China team up, we can advance technology,
cooperate on offshore wind power development, and create a win-win
situation for both sides," said Liu.
This year alone, China is expected to install an additional
8 GW of capacity, according to a forecast by Industrial Economics &
Knowledge Center at Taiwan's government-supported Industrial Technology
Research Institute.
"We must create a complete industry supply chain," said Han
Wenke, Director General of the Energy Research Institute under China's
state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission.
Taiwan's advantage is its superior manufacturing quality
control, but in cooperation with China, it can develop offshore wind
power and open up new markets, said Alex Tong, deputy director-general
of ITRI's Mechanical and Systems Research Laboratories.
"The future (of wind) is offshore, if you want renewable
energy to account for a major percentage (of total power generation),"
said Tong.
"Taiwan can cooperate with China on system integration and use it as entry to international markets," Tong said.
Offshore wind power is more expensive than onshore, but
Taiwan's government is boosting research and development on this, he
said.