Chinese wind turbine manufacturers lack the technology to build generators above 1 megawatts. Local companies dominate the 200-700 megawatt market, occupying 80% of the market.
The trend in China is to build larger wind farms with capacities of 100 to 150 megawatts and each turbine producing 800 megawatts to 1.2 gigawatts. Almost 90% of all the large capacity generators are exported from Europe. U.S. companies simply have not taken advantage of the Chinese wind market- lacking market information, contact points, and concentrating too much on the domestic market.
U.S. companies with larger capacity wind turbines or with lower cost per kilowatt hour technologies can participate in the current 8-15 wind tendering projects in 2007 and 2008.
Other opportunities exist in off-grid generators. Many small towns and farms in China's countryside and poorer regions still do not have in-grid electricity. The local governments are purchasing and subsidizing small, off-grid wind systems ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 systems in the 400 watt to 3,000 watt ranges.
The China Renewable Energy Industries Association estimates that $600M USD will be spent on off-grid wind systems in the next 2 years.
U.S. companies offering better technologies or cost-efficient solutions can either create technology licensing relationships with local manufacturers, designers, and servicing companies, or directly participate in the tendering process with local distributors or partners.
