Beijing's windy bet

Abstract

According to a December 2008 report by New Energy Finance, China's National Development and Reform Commission - the body that oversees national economic and social development - is concerned about the "lack of supervision in China's rapid wind-power growth", especially when it comes to the grid. Meeting government targets for renewable energy for 2020 will, according to most estimates, require a prodigious 100 gigawatts of wind energy - about 5% of China's total energy supply.