Chinese researchers have identified sites in Tibet fit for installing wind turbines that will be capable of generating 600 gigawatts of energy, capitalising on the mountainous area's constant winds, China’s National Climate Centre said. They also determined additional sites on the plateaus in neighbouring regions that can generate 420 gigawatts of wind energy.
Such volumes of energy generation could power the UK, Germany and France – top consumers in Europe, which are looking ways of ditching the Russian gas and transitioning to green energy generation that is comparable in terms of costs to burning fossils, Bloomberg pointed out.
However, an ambitious project building massive wind turbine arrays might face several challenges, even in Tibet, that might undermine its effectiveness, the outlet noted. Poor roads might complicate the transportation of sensitive and fragile equipment, while the costly construction of power lines might further reduce the viability of the project. Additionally, thin mountain air might reduce the effectiveness of turbines, Bloomberg alleged.
So far, wind power generates around 30 megawatts out of 4.8 gigawatts of overall power capacity in Tibet. However, after seeing the results of the research, the Chinese National Energy Administration issued a guidance stipulating the construction of wind turbines in the identified spots in Tibet. In recent years, China intensified the search for sources of more environmentally friendly power generation as some of its cities faced ecologic issues, such as air contamination. The country plans to drop its coal energy generation, which is currently responsible for a significant portion of the power grid's capacity.
It is unclear so far if the project in Tibet proves viable enough for the European countries to get interested in it. Despite certain disagreements in relations with China and accusations that Beijing committed crimes in Xinjiang region, the EU has insisted on maintaining business ties and cooperation with China in areas where it was possible. At the same time, many European countries have refused to use Chinese telecommunications equipment in the recent past under the pressure from the US following unverified claims of its vulnerability to Chinese government cyber-intrusion – something that Beijing has strongly denied.
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