On the 19th, the reporter walked into the Dongying Economic and Technological Development Zone of Shandong Province (hereinafter referred to as the "Dongying Economic and Technological Development Zone") and saw rows of huge white windmills slowly turning in the wind. At the Linhai Wind Power Test Base, stringent wind turbine performance tests are being carried out in an orderly manner.
Before wind turbines enter the market, they need to undergo a series of tests. Previously, these were often completed by companies themselves at sea, which was costly and took a long time. Today, Dongying Economic and Technological Development Zone has built the world's largest and most comprehensive Linhai wind power testing and certification base, allowing companies to obtain "admission passes" at their doorsteps, significantly reducing corporate testing costs.
At the Dongying Wind Power Equipment Testing and Certification Innovation Base, the world’s largest 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine independently developed by China Dongfang Electric Group Co., Ltd. is undergoing full-condition data testing and certification. The annual power generation of this unit reaches 100 million kilowatt-hours, which can meet the electricity needs of 55,000 households throughout the year.
"This base can meet the one-stop testing of wind turbines from components to complete machines, and can simulate various actual operating conditions of offshore units and verify the comprehensive power generation capabilities of the units." Zhang Heng, project manager of the test center of Dongfang Electric Wind Power Co., Ltd., told reporters that after various data tests meet the standards, the company is equivalent to getting the "admission certificate" for wind turbines to enter the market.
But in the past, this "admission card" was not easy to obtain. Enterprises often have to go to sea to build test stations and supporting testing platforms by themselves, which costs huge time and capital.
In 2021, Shandong Province began to plan three major offshore wind power equipment manufacturing industrial bases in Bozhong, Peninsula North, and Peninsula South, and more than 30 upstream and downstream companies have successively settled in Dongying Economic Development Zone. As the industry gradually grows, the shortcomings of professional testing platforms have restricted the launch of new products. To this end, Dongying Economic and Technological Development Zone has established a special work team to plan to build the first domestic coastal wind power equipment testing and certification innovation base.
"The advantages of the Dongying Economic and Technological Development Zone are obvious, including open terrain, stable wind speed, and abundant land resources. The test cost is only one-quarter of that of a large-scale offshore experimental wind farm." said Huang Yanxia, organizer of the Investment Promotion Department of Dongying Donghui Industrial Development Group Co., Ltd.
After multiple rounds of field surveys and program demonstrations, Dongying Economic Development Zone finally decided to plan and deploy 12 high-power wind power test stations in the coastal area.
"Our wind power test base is different from commercial wind farms in that it adopts a single machine and single line access method. When a single wind turbine is tested, the testing of other wind turbines will not be affected." Yu Xianyong, deputy director of the Operation and Maintenance Management Department of Dongying Donghui New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. explained. However, the foundation design of the test base is 30 megawatts. During the construction stage of the fan foundation pouring, the one-time pouring of large volumes of concrete will generate heat sources, which will cause the concrete to pulverize, causing the fan foundation to crack and reduce its strength.
Faced with technical difficulties that are rare in the industry, the project team teamed up with construction units and scientific research institutes to tackle the problem. The base foundation was developed and designed by a professional team. The amount of steel bars is 320 tons, and the concrete pouring volume is 3,500 cubic meters at a time, which is equivalent to three times the current onshore wind power foundation. At the same time, the team used cyclic general cooling technology to accurately control the temperature of the concrete in various parts of the fan foundation to ensure that the fan foundation was effectively built.
After more than a year of construction, the Dongying Wind Power Equipment Testing and Certification Innovation Base is put into operation. The latest models of many domestic leading wind power companies have gathered in Dongying. From the ultimate load test of 100-meter-level blades to the verification of the grid-connected characteristics of the entire machine; from the joint debugging of the electromechanical transmission system to the reliability simulation of extreme sea conditions, this place has become a recognized "technical examination venue" in the industry.
Today, in the 8,800-acre Dongying Offshore Wind Power Equipment Industrial Park, 37 industrial chain projects with a total investment of 28 billion yuan are forming a cluster-type coordinated development pattern. An "admission permit" extends to the "accelerator" of the entire industry chain, which is driving the offshore wind power industry to accelerate towards the deep blue.
