China's independently developed 20-megawatt floating offshore wind turbine, the world's most powerful one so far, has rolled off the production line in Sheyang County of east China's Jiangsu Province, its developer CRRC Corporation Limited (CRRC) announced on Thursday.
With a propeller diameter of 260 meters, the wind turbine covers a sweeping area of 531,000 square meters, equivalent to seven standard soccer fields.
Capable of generating of 62 million Kwh of electricity in clean energy per year, a single unit of the wind turbine can satisfy the annual power consumption demand of around 37,000 households. This is equivalent to saving 25,000 tons of coals and cutting 62,000 tons of carbon dioxide emission each year.
Real-time monitoring of the wind turbine can be realized as it is equipped with multiple smart control and sensing technologies to ensure stable operation.
Located on a semi-submerged floating offshore wind platform, the floating offshore wind turbine could further utilize the wind power on the sea by allowing the deployment of wind turbines in larger and deeper offshore areas with higher wind potential.
"Traditional offshore wind turbines are based on structures fixed into the ocean floor, while floating wind turbines are given more leeway as they may drift with waves. Currently, floating wind power generation represents an important technological direction of the future of wind power development," said Wang Dian, deputy general manager of a CRRC's new energy technology subsidiary.
The floating wind turbine will be tested in Dongying City of east China's Bohai Sea coastal province of Shandong and will be installed later in a deep-sea area to be connected to the power grid , according to sources familiar with the project.
World's most powerful floating offshore wind turbine rolls off production line
Central China's Henan Province is experiencing a surge in international tourists driven by expanded visa-free policies, with visitors attracted by the traditional intangible cultural heritage, Chinese martial arts and local delicacies.
In Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, a vibrant cultural and creative district offers hands-on experiences like traditional lacquer fan making, alongside culinary delights such as culturally themed ice creams and spicy crispy tofu.
Dengfeng City, home to the world-renowned Shaolin Temple, has drawn travel groups to the city to experience Chinese martial arts. The large-scale live-action performances integrating kungfu with natural landscapes provide visitors with profound artistic immersion.
"It was something one-time in a life, nothing else in the world," said a tourist from Bulgaria.
The relaxed visa requirements have facilitated convenience for them to come to China.
"Of course, we are happy. It's always easier without the visa and complication, because before I was here last year, we had to have a visa and we had to show our visa everywhere," said Slav Kirilov, a Bulgarian tour group leader.
With the arrival of tourism season, there has been a marked increase in tour groups from Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions.
"As the weather gets warmer, the number of international tour groups is steadily increasing. We now receive five to six groups each day, each with around 30 people. The number of groups has doubled compared with the same period last year," said Mao Rongjun, head of a scenic area in Dengfeng.
Last December, China extended the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers from the original 72 and 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days.
The travelers from 54 countries can enter through any of the 60 ports across 24 provinces, regions and municipalities and stay within the designated areas for up to 240 hours.
Henan, one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization, is reaping the benefits of this policy.
"From Dec 17 to March 26, about 10,000 foreigners had entered through Zhengzhou's airports since the 240-hour visa-free policy was implemented, an increase of 334 percent over the same period 12 months earlier," said Yang Kui, a border inspector.
Expanded visa-free policy fuels inbound tourism in central China's Henan Province
