Tibet plugs into high-altitude wind power technology
- Once fully operational, the facility in Cuomei county is expected to generate enough electricity for about 140,000 households
- The turbines have been designed for the harsh high-altitude conditions of the Tibetan Plateau
The official Science and Technology Daily reported on Friday that the wind farm in Cuomei county, in the autonomous region’s southeast, comprised a series of turbines installed at at least 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) above sea level.
The project has been developed by the China Three Gorges Corporation and, once completed, is expected to feed up to 200 million KWh into the grid each year, or enough power to meet the demand of almost 140,000 households, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Wang Liang, head of the Shannan branch of the corporation’s Tibet Energy Investment, told CCTV that the turbines were optimised for the high-altitude environment, with each turbine blade longer than similar units built at lower altitudes.
Wang said the extra blade length would increase the area swept by the turbines by nearly 30 per cent, improving the system’s wind efficiency in the low atmospheric pressure.
Typically ultra-high wind farms built between 3,500 and 5,500 metres are considered ultra-high altitude.
