Early wind turbine units put into operation in China were mostly of 1.5 MW or lower capacity. Due to technological limitations, these units suffered from low wind energy utilization rates, high operation and maintenance costs, and insufficient safety redundancy. With the rapid pace of wind power technology iteration, these older units have become increasingly unable to meet the demands of high-quality development, making upgrades and renovations an urgent necessity. Industry statistics show that the total capacity of aging wind turbine units nationwide awaiting upgrades currently exceeds 10 million kilowatts, indicating a vast market potential.
Blade optimization is one of the core components of turbine upgrades. By adopting new airfoil designs and installing vortex generators, among other technologies, the blades’ ability to capture wind energy can be effectively enhanced. At a wind farm in Northeast China, after blade modifications, the wind energy utilization factor increased from 0.42 to 0.48, resulting in an approximate 200-kilowatt-hour increase in daily power generation per turbine under the same wind speed conditions. Some wind farms have also adopted blade-lengthening technology, which increases blade length by 5 to 8 meters without altering the turbine’s main structural design, thereby significantly improving power-generation performance even under low-wind-speed conditions.

The upgrade of the control system has enabled intelligent operation of the wind turbine unit. Traditional control strategies for wind turbine units typically rely on fixed parameters, making it difficult to adapt to the dynamic changes in wind speed. The upgraded intelligent control system can dynamically adjust the unit’s operating parameters by collecting real-time data on wind speed, wind direction, and the unit’s operational status, ensuring that the unit consistently operates at its optimal performance level. Meanwhile, the newly added fault-warning function can proactively identify potential failures in critical components such as the gearbox and generator, shifting from reactive maintenance to preventive maintenance and thereby reducing operation and maintenance costs.

For wind turbine units deployed in special regions such as plateaus and coastal areas, technological optimization places greater emphasis on enhancing adaptability. In plateau wind farms, turbine units have overcome operational challenges posed by high altitudes and low temperatures by optimizing their cooling systems and adopting materials that are resistant to low temperatures. In coastal wind farms, on the other hand, units have undergone enhanced anti-corrosion treatments, featuring salt-spray-resistant coatings and sealing technologies that extend their service life in marine climates.

Technological optimization not only boosts efficiency but also brings about significant improvements in economic benefits. At a certain wind farm, the total investment for upgrading and retrofitting 20 wind turbine units amounted to approximately 8 million yuan. After the upgrades, annual power generation increased by 4.5 million kilowatt-hours. Based on the local grid-connected electricity price, annual revenue increases exceeded 1.8 million yuan, and the investment payback period is less than five years. As technological optimization solutions continue to mature and costs decline, more and more wind farms are joining the ranks of those undergoing upgrades and retrofits, injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of the wind power industry.