Construction began on the world's largest production base for
magnetic levitation (maglev) wind power generators in central China
on Monday.
The Guangzhou-based Zhongke Hengyuan Energy Technology Co. Ltd.
invested 400 million yuan in building the base for the generators,
from which it expects yearly revenue of 1.6 billion yuan.
The base will produce a series of maglev wind power generators
with capacities ranging from 400 to 5,000 watts in the first half
of 2008, said a company statement. The maglev generator
co-developed by the company and Guangzhou Energy Research Institute
under the Chinese Academy of Sciences is expected to create new
opportunities for harnessing wind power in low-wind-speed areas, as
it can utilize winds with starting speeds as low as 1.5 meters per
second.
The problem of the traditional wind turbines was that they
require high wind speeds to start, because of the friction caused
by their bearings, said Li Guokun, chief scientific developer of
the new technology.
The frictionless maglev generator would cut the operational
expenses of wind farms by up to half, keeping the overall cost of
wind power under 0.4 yuan per kilowatt-hour, said Li.
Since it was unveiled at the Wind Power Asia Exhibition 2006 in
Beijing, the technology has garnered interest in a dozen Chinese
cities and more than 50 countries and regions in the world. The
Zhongke company said the generator could be used on islands, in
observatories, and television transfer stations, and even provide
roadside lighting along highways by utilizing the airflow generated
from passing vehicles.
(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2007)
