Analyzing the Competition in China’s Wind Power Market
At present, the total accumulated installed capacity of the wind turbine generator systems (WTGs) in China accounts for 10% of the total global wind power market, and China is one of the top five wind power markets in the world. China’s wind power technology has basically matured, but the manufacturing cost of WTGs in China is expected to drop, while some key components continue to be imported. Though the price of foreign WTGs is over 20% higher than that of Chinese WTGs, foreign WTGs can still achieve a higher market share because of their advanced technology. When the Chinese wind power manufacturers faced a technological disadvantage, the global wind power giants introduced advanced technologies and manufacturing experiences in China to develop wind power technology by establishing foreign companies or entering into joint ventures. For example, the Spanish enterprise Gamesa, the world’s second largest wind power manufacturer, built a wind turbine manufacturing base in Tianjin, China. Thus, the global wind power giants may not only decrease the manufacturing and transportation costs but also meet the local production rates of wind power equipments, regulated by the National Development and Reform Commission of China. This situation will intensify the competition in China’s wind power market. The statistical data of wind power in 2006 (Shi Pengfei, 2007) show the following: with regard to the accumulated installed wind power capacity, the foreign and Chinese enterprises account for 65.8% and 30.9%, respectively, while for the newly installed wind power capacity, they account for 55% and 41.3%, respectively, and the remaining share is accounted by joint venture enterprises in China. In addition to the Chinese enterprise Goldwind1, the market shares of other Chinese enterprises are smaller than those of the foreign enterprises in China. However, the development trend indicates that the Chinese enterprises are developing rapidly, and the market share of the newly installed wind power capacity of the Chinese enterprises has kept increasing steadily during the last three years. At present, the market for the manufacture of MW-scale WTGs in China is imbalanced in terms of the demand exceeding the supply. Therefore, many wind power enterprises attempt to acquire a larger market share in this business. Some manufacturers that produce complete sets of WTGs begin to produce interrelated components. These enterprises, as new entrants, not only utilize the technological advantages that they possess but also collaborate with foreign enterprises with the aim of dominating the market as early as possible. Under this situation, the competition has increased in the market of manufacturing components in China. Since the mainstream models of WTGs produced in recent years are of MW scale or larger, the Chinese enterprises are faced with technological obstacles. In order to overcome the technological disadvantages and bring about a change in the market monopolized by the global wind power giants, the Chinese enterprises have to introduce and assimilate foreign technologies through various initiatives such as joint design and acquiring production licenses. Some Chinese enterprises that have advantages in manufacturing will be presented with the opportunities to develop rapidly and occupy the desired position in the wind power manufacturing market in China.（詳細內容下載附件）