China on Wednesday completed the installation of all wind turbines of its Datang Basu Wind Power Project, currently the world's highest altitude wind power project.
In a six-month endeavor, the project saw the full installation of 20 wind turbines, marking the commencement of the final equipment configuration phase before the onset of operation.
Situated in the southeastern part of the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, this pioneering wind power initiative plans to erect 20 units of five-megawatt wind turbines, with the highest unit positioned at the remarkable altitude of 5,200 meters, setting a new global record for high-altitude wind power projects.
Starting from April this year, the project is slated to commence grid-connected power generation by the end of October. This project holds the promise of bolstering the region's energy landscape by bridging gaps in hydropower and photovoltaic generation and ensuring uninterrupted power supply during winter peak demands.
"Upon completion, it can generate 223 million kwh of electricity annually, equivalent to saving 73,100 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 182,800 tons. The annual power generation can meet the consumption demand of 5,700 three-member households throughout the year," said Wang Honglang, general manager of the Datang Basu Wind Power Project.
China completes installation of world's highest altitude wind power project
The key scientific infrastructure to generate attosecond laser, which started construction on Friday in Dongguan City, south China's Guangdong Province, will boost China's innovation ability in ultrafast optics field, said scientists.
The Advanced Attosecond Laser Infrastructure (AALI), including facilities in Dongguan and Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, is being built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The AALI project is planned to set up 10 beamlines covering wavelengths in extreme ultraviolet, soft X-ray and terahertz radiation, along with 22 research terminals, forming a comprehensive attosecond science facility in the next five years, according to the Institute of Physics (IOP) of the CAS.
AALI demands driving lasers with exceptional stability and reliability, representing the pinnacle of ultrafast laser technology, thus facing numerous technical challenges.
To facilitate the smooth construction and operation of the AALI, the project has launched an innovation cluster for the high-performance laser industry. The initial members include 40 institutions, comprising 27 laser-related enterprises, 10 universities, and three research institutes. These entities are collaboratively working on establishing test platforms, streamlining supply chains, and developing industrial clusters to better integrate resources and advance the growth of related industries.
"We not only rely on the IOP (of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), but also tackle problems by working together with relevant scientific research institutes and other platform builders. After two years of effort, our team now has more than 100 members. With the development of this infrastructure, I believe it will bring more and more practical applications, including those promoting the development of related industries," said Wei Zhiyi, principal investigator of the AALI and a research fellow at the IOP.
The development of attosecond laser pulses has opened the door to the world of electrons, allowing physicists to investigate a wide range of electron behaviors. Scientists are expected to discover more novel phenomena at the attosecond scale, advancing both fundamental and applied sciences.
"In the field of ultrafast optics, attosecond lasers are at the forefront. If we can build such a large device in this field and serve a vast number of users, it will be like opening a new window and blazing a new trail in this area. It will have a great impact on our country's development in this field," said Zhao Kun, a research fellow at IOP and chief engineer of the Dongguan section of the AALI.
Attosecond laser infrastructure to boost China's innovation in ultrafast optics: scientists
