North-South Cooperation and Private-Public Partnership: A Case Study of China’s Wind Power Industry

The document analyzes the growth of China's wind power sector, highlighting the role of the 2005 Renewable Energy Law and strategic technology transfers from European companies. It uses Goldwind as a case study for successful private-public partnerships and argues that further international cooperation in turbine design and offshore technology is essential to meet future CO2 emission constraints.

• China experienced rapid growth in wind turbine installations, with accumulative capacity increasing from 550 MW in 2003 to 5,900 MW in 2007. By 2007, Chinese manufacturers' market share of increased installed capacity surpassed that of foreign companies, with seven domestic firms holding approximately 55% of that growth.
• Despite manufacturing growth, China's wind technology remains behind Europe because core technology and know-how are still controlled by foreign entities. Key R&D priorities for China include variable speed technologies, large-capacity turbines, wind farm designs, and off-shore turbines.
• The Renewable Energy Law, passed on February 28, 2005, and effective from January 1, 2006, established an integrated policy framework. This includes national renewable energy targets, a feed-in tariff, tax relief, a special fiscal fund, and public R&D support.
• China has set specific renewable energy targets: renewable energy should provide 10% of total energy consumption by 2010 and 15% by 2020. The government also targeted a wind power installed capacity of 30GW and required electricity investors with over 5GW capacity to have 3% to 8% renewables (excluding hydro) by 2010 and 2020.
• Goldwind's growth demonstrates the impact of North-South cooperation and technology transfer. The company utilized Danish government grants in 1988, a German government loan in 1996, and licensing agreements with German companies Jacob (1997) and REpower (2001) to localize turbine technology.
• Under a 'CO2 Emission Constraint Scenario' aimed at zero CO2 emissions growth after 2025, China's wind power installation would need to reach 30GW in 2020, 285GW in 2030, and 395GW in 2050.
• Future international cooperation is required to overcome gaps in wind turbine design, the manufacturing of key parts like control systems and bearings, and the development of off-shore wind turbine technology, which China currently lacks the capacity to manufacture, install, or operate.

APA

XILIANG, Z. (2008). North-South Cooperation and Private-Public Partnership: A Case Study of China’s Wind Power Industry. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/zhang-251108-final.pdf

Chicago

XILIANG, ZHANG. North-South Cooperation and Private-Public Partnership: A Case Study of China’s Wind Power Industry. Climate Strategies, 2008. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/zhang-251108-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=XILIANG |first1=ZHANG |title=North-South Cooperation and Private-Public Partnership: A Case Study of China’s Wind Power Industry |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=25 November 2008 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/zhang-251108-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{xiliang2008northsouth, author = {XILIANG, ZHANG}, title = {{North-South Cooperation and Private-Public Partnership: A Case Study of China’s Wind Power Industry}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/zhang-251108-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }