Chinese grid creaks under the strain

China's wind-energy programme has been a victim of its own success, as over-capacity, especially in remote areas, has put pressure on the country's under-developed electricity grid, writes Ian Lewis

Government support for the domestic wind industry over the past decade has seen the start-up of more than 100 wind-turbine manufacturers, including international players such as Sinovel Wind, Xinjiang Goldwind and Dongfang Electric, which has helped domestic wind energy output to double annually over the past few years. But while China's installed wind capacity has grown beyond 25 GW, China Electricity Council, a trade association, says only 23 GW was connected to grid networks by mid-2010. And the disparity is worse than that suggests: many of the country's biggest wind farms are being built in remote interior provinces, such as Gansu, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, where local markets are sm