The “scaling up and phasing out the small” approach in wind power refers to gradually replacing earlier, low-capacity, low-efficiency wind turbine units with larger-capacity, high-efficiency ones. In China, many of the early wind turbine units were built before 2010, with individual unit capacities generally ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 megawatts. These older units suffer from low wind energy utilization efficiency, high operation and maintenance costs, and inadequate safety performance. Data show that the average wind energy utilization factor for these aging units is only 0.38, significantly lower than the 0.45 or higher typically seen in today’s mainstream models.
A significant boost in economic benefits is the core driving force behind the “upgrading large turbines and phasing out small ones” approach. Under identical wind resource conditions, a single 4.0-megawatt turbine can generate annual electricity output equivalent to that of four older 1.0-megawatt turbines combined—yet its operation and maintenance costs are only twice as high. In one wind farm, the total investment for a “upgrading large turbines and phasing out small ones” retrofit project amounted to 120 million yuan. After the retrofit, annual revenue increased by more than 20 million yuan, and the investment payback period is approximately six years. Meanwhile, the per-kilowatt cost of large-capacity units continues to decline and has now reached roughly the same level as the retrofit costs for small-capacity units, further enhancing the economic viability of the “upgrading large turbines and phasing out small ones” strategy.

Policy guidance has provided strong support for the “replace small with large” initiative. The National Energy Administration has issued multiple documents encouraging the retrofitting, upgrading, and decommissioning and restructuring of wind farms, explicitly supporting the replacement of outdated, small-scale units with advanced, larger-capacity ones, and offering a green approval channel for related projects. Governments in many regions have incorporated the “replace small with large” approach into their renewable energy development plans, providing per-kilowatt-hour subsidies or investment grants for retrofitting projects. Driven by these policies, the nationwide scale of “replace small with large” retrofits exceeded 2 million kilowatts in 2024, representing a 150% increase over the previous year.

Technological advancements have provided a solid foundation for the “scaling up and scaling down” approach. Currently, onshore wind turbine units with capacities ranging from 3 to 6 megawatts have become the mainstream, while offshore wind power is increasingly moving toward units exceeding 10 megawatts. Large-capacity units, equipped with tall towers and long blades, can effectively harness high-quality wind resources at higher altitudes, enabling efficient power generation even in areas with low wind speeds. Meanwhile, the intelligence level of new-generation units has significantly improved, featuring advanced fault-warning systems and remote operation-and-maintenance platforms that can reduce operation and maintenance costs by more than 30%.

During the process of "retiring older units and upgrading newer ones," the environmentally sound disposal of aging wind turbine units has become a key focus of industry attention. Currently, the industry has developed a comprehensive disposal model encompassing "dismantling—recycling—reusing." Wind turbine blades can be physically shredded and used as raw materials for construction materials, while the recovery rate of metal components exceeds 95%. In some regions, demonstration bases for the recycling of old wind power equipment have been established, enabling the circular use of resources.