China's installed wind power capacity hit record high in 2014

A wind power farm in Zhangjiakou,?North China's Hebei province,?Jan 19, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - China's newly installed wind power capacity jumped to a record high of 19.81 million kilowatts in 2014, according to an industry briefing by the National Energy Bureau (NEB) Thursday.

Wind power generated 153.4 billion kilowatt hours of on-grid electric power in 2014, contributing to 2.78 percent of the country's total generated electricity, said Shi Lishan, deputy director of the NEB's new and renewable energy department.

The year saw more wind power construction and development, with newly-approved wind power capacity reaching 36 million kilowatts, a year on year increase of 6 million, Shi said.

The average usage of wind power in 2014, however, slumped to 1,893 hours from 2,074 hours in the previous year, partly due to weak wind conditions throughout the year, Shi added.

The wind power sector generated 134.9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in China in 2013, making it the country's third-largest source of electricity, after thermal power and hydro power.