Wind turbine coatings: localization is gradually becoming a reality

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As a well-known enterprise in the province and within the industry, with 45 years of experience in the production of specialty coatings, Northwest Yongxin has made significant contributions to the economy of Gansu Province as well as to the development of the coating industry in China. Amid the rapid development of China’s wind power industry, Northwest Yongxin, through long-term accumulation and relentless efforts, as well as by adjusting its product portfolio and pursuing technological innovation, has taken the lead in the field of wind power coatings within the domestic coating industry, playing a key role in promoting the use of domestically produced coatings for wind power applications. 　　Wind turbine coatings hold great potential. According to Chemical Talent Network, the wind energy industry in China has seen tremendous development over the past decade. However, the coating industry is still in its infancy. In already installed wind power systems, the application of coating materials relies almost entirely on the inlet. The coating materials used in China’s wind power industry face significant opportunities and challenges. 　　In the domestic market, the demand for tower and blade coatings alone is expected to be around 6–7 billion yuan over the next 10 years, and at present almost all of these products are dominated by foreign brands. In Jiuquan, Gansu, the installed capacity in 2010 alone was 3.16 million kilowatts, requiring approximately 3,000 tons of coatings for towers and blades, worth 150 million yuan. Based on the province’s plan for 20 million kilowatts of installed capacity, the demand for coatings is estimated to be around 1 billion yuan. 　　Since the development strategy of \"building a wind power corridor in Hexi to create the ‘Three Gorges’ of the western inland region\" was put forward, a number of major wind power projects in Gansu Province have been successively approved for construction by the **National Development and Reform Commission. Enterprises such as China Guodian Longyuan Group, Datang Group, and China Power Investment Group have invested in Jiuquan, driving Gansu’s wind power industry into a new wave of growth. 　 The progress achieved over 10 years is evident to all. The technical development of wind power coatings at Northwest Yongxin began in 1966; the application of such coatings in wind power projects dates back to the painting work carried out at the Yumen wind farm over a decade ago. Through continuous improvement and efforts in recent years, a new type of wind power coating product named “Yongxin” has been successfully developed, enabling the company to take the lead in this industry sector and filling a gap in China’s coating industry. Significant advancements have been made in both product design and manufacturing processes, with performance reaching international advanced levels. This has laid a solid foundation for enhancing Yongxin’s core competitiveness and ensuring its sustainable and healthy development. In the development of new products, to date, work has been completed on finalizing the coating formula for the standard towers, as well as on the design, testing, and evaluation of blade coatings, resulting in a fairly comprehensive product portfolio. Among them, the tower coatings come in products suitable for various weather conditions, such as marine environments as well as inland areas with sandstorms, cold weather and drought; these coatings have resistance to ultraviolet rays and wind-sand corrosion, as well as excellent anti-corrosion properties. The blade coatings offer good adhesion, wear resistance, weather resistance, and decent anti-icing capabilities. 　　On March 7 this year, a presentation by Gansu Jieyuan Wind Power Company showed that in March 2001, 12 wind turbines were installed at the Jiuquan Sanshilijingzi Jieyuan Yumen Wind Farm; 6 of these turbines used the wind power coatings produced by Northwest Yongxin, and the appearance of their towers, both inside and outside, was significantly better than that of the other 6 turbines from the same period. The tower coating was applied at the Yumen Longyuan wind farm in 2000, and it has been in use for 10 years to date, with good performance so far. It was adopted at the Datang Jingtai wind farm in 2008, and it is still functioning well. In 2009, the company’s wind turbine coatings became a qualified supplier for Chongqing Haichang Wind Power, and supply is ongoing as usual. The blade coating has also been successfully tested at Chongqing General. 　　The localization of wind turbine coatings is not far off. Wen Lixin, general manager of Northwest Yongxin Chemical, said that the \"synthesis of organofluorosilicon-modified elastic polyurethane urea resins and new types of wind turbine coatings\" currently under development have passed evaluations by relevant experts and institutions. At the time of its launch, it reduced the prices of similar products from abroad that entered the Chinese market by around 30%. The combination of Yongxin Chemicals and wind power will bring new hope to China’s domestic industry in the field of wind power coatings. At present, Northwest Yongxin Chemical has reached preliminary trial-use agreements with assembly companies such as Goldwind Science & Technology and Haishang Wind Power, thereby becoming more deeply involved in the wind power industry. This is aimed at changing the unfair trading conditions caused by the dominance of foreign brands, which result in high prices, limited product options, poor service, and stringent supply requirements. Tower manufacturing companies in Jiuquan have all stated their support for the localization of wind power coatings and for Yongxin. 　　Yu Guangming, deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Commission of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out that the \"Several Opinions on Further Supporting the Economic and Social Development of Gansu\" put forward by the State Council represent a once-in-a-lifetime major historical opportunity for the economic and social development of our province. These opinions further clarify the direction for the development of new energy bases. Yongxin New Development’s wind turbine coatings represent a move that is in line with the relevant industrial policies at the national and provincial levels. It will play a positive role in promoting the development of a circular economy in Gansu Province, and the localization of wind turbine coatings is no longer far off.