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Promising Wind Power Market Leads to Unstable Bearing supply in China
Wind power, as a kind of renewable energy source, is receiving a heavy emphasis in China.
According to local media reports, the Chinese authorities are launching a policy to promote the development of the wind power industry by fostering wind power equipment manufacturers with proprietary technology, as well as providing subsidies to related manufacturers, research institutes, and alike.
In the 11th Five Year Plan till 2010, the "world factory" targets to increase the installed capacity of wind power across the nation by 3
million kilowatts to 5 million kilowatts by the end of the plan.
In addition, China plans to make a sixfold increase in the decade starting 2011, with the total installed capacity reaching 30 million
kilowatts by 2020.
On the international level, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), a forum for the entire wind energy sector at an international level, forecasts in its recent report, released this May, that the global wind power market will grow annually by 19% till 2010.
For bearing manufacturers, this drastic growth in the wind power market, on one hand, is creating huge business opportunities. On the other hand, however, it is intensifying the already unstable supply of bearings for related equipment in the China.
Technology backwardness
A reason for the unstable supply of bearings in China is the backwardness of domestic Chinese manufacturers in terms of bearing manufacturing technology. It is true that they have already captured the technology to produce bearings for equipment that generates maximum 1 megawatt of electricity. But talking about those for more
powerful equipment, they are still in the testing phase. So far only Luoyang Bearing Corporation (Group), which produces the LYC brand of bearings, possesses the technology to mass produce bearings for 1.5 megawatt equipment.
This leading bearing manufacturer in China frankly admits the fact it still lags behind world advanced level in the technology for bearing
manufacture. It is so partly because of the increased size of wind power equipment. According to experts, the capacity of a single unit has greatly been increased from less than 1 or 2 megawatts previously, and this growing trend will go on for at least a short term.
Other parts in short supply too
Apart from bearings, the promising wind power market also creates instability in the supply of such key components like pylons, turbines, gear boxes, electricity generators, and so on.
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| HCB7005E.T.P4S bearing | 25 | 47 | 12 |
| HCB7005C.T.P4S bearing | 25 | 47 | 12 |