Latest news with #StateGridCorporationofChina
Borneo Post
27-05-2025
- General
- Borneo Post
Artificial nests boost biodiversity of "China's water tower"
Workers conduct routing inspection of power transmission lines at Tanggulashan Township of Golmud City in the Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Haixi, northwest China's Qinghai Province, June 3, 2023. (Photo by Pan Binbin/Xinhua) XINING (May 28): Under the blue skies and white clouds of the Sanjiangyuan area in northwest China's Qinghai Province, raptors like golden eagles and upland buzzards soar through the air, frequently returning to nests perched atop electricity transmission poles and towers. There, they incubate their eggs and feed their young. Surprisingly, these nests were installed by local power grid workers in a public welfare initiative that the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) launched in the province in 2016 to promote biodiversity conservation. The artificial nest project is now being expanded across China and globally, and has been selected as a flagship case for the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16). CONFLICTS The Sanjiangyuan area, known as 'China's water tower,' is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, and boasts among the highest levels of high-altitude biodiversity in the world. The area now hosts approximately 300 bird species, including over 20 raptors, such as golden eagles, saker falcons and upland buzzards. These birds, which favor high nesting sites, use the soaring transmission towers — tens of meters in height — as ideal habitats. In the past, birds frequently built nests on transmission towers using materials like iron wires and thin ropes, which often electrocuted the birds and triggered power outages. To resolve the conflict between power grid development and avian habitat conservation, which had long been recognized as an industry-wide challenge, maintenance workers from the State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company initially installed bird deterrent and exclusion devices on power towers. However, over time, the birds became habituated to these devices and grew unafraid. 'We even tried relocating nests, but the area's high altitude and scarce tree coverage leave few suitable nesting sites for raptors,' said Wang Hui, former head of the maintenance team. COEXISTENCE According to the Yushu Power Supply Company, which is under the State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company, 40 percent of power failures in the province's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in 2015 were bird-related. Each repair mission required crews to traverse snow-capped mountains and vast grasslands, covering hundreds of kilometers at tremendous operational costs. To solve the problem, Wang and his colleagues devised the idea of building nests for birds on the towers, at positions that wouldn't affect power transmission safety. Soon, the first batch of simple artificial bird nests — bamboo baskets lined with straw — were installed and put to use. 'At first, the results were promising — eagles and other large birds gradually moved in,' maintenance worker Ren Liang said. However, frequent sandstorms in Qinghai blew away the straw in the bamboo baskets, and the baskets themselves quickly weathered and fell apart. After repeated trials and improvements, the workers switched to weaving nests from rattan and lining them with coir mats secured by metal fasteners. 'These upgraded nests were not only sturdier and safer, but also more comfortable for hatching chicks,' Ren said. Working with wildlife experts, the power company ultimately designed bowl-shaped nests measuring about 100 centimeters in diameter and 40 centimeters in depth, specifically sized for the physical requirements of the area's raptors. These conservation efforts have yielded significant results. Since 2016, the State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company has installed 5,053 artificial bird nests in the Sanjiangyuan area, successfully attracting birds to nest in more than 2,600 of that total. The company now says it will install new nests while optimizing existing sites this year. This optimization will include relocating long-unoccupied nests to areas with higher concentrations of birds, thereby enhancing both utilization efficiency and the scientific deployment of these conservation structures. Wang Jianting, president of the Bird Watching Association of Qinghai National Park, noted that these artificial nests have successfully attracted raptors that prey on plateau pikas and other small animals, strengthening vulnerable links in Sanjiangyuan's ecological chain. Professional monitoring results show that according to current artificial nest installation standards in Sanjiangyuan, each nest assists in the predation of about 50 small grassland rodents in the surrounding area during the raptor breeding season alone, significantly enhancing ecological balance stability. In recent years, the State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company has also collaborated with non-profit organizations on interdisciplinary research integrating ornithology and power grid systems, dynamically monitoring and evaluating the artificial nest project. The project has been expanded to provinces and regions such as Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Xizang. – Xinhua animal spec bird's nests China fauna
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China builds colossal base to test unbelievably powerful energy tech — here's what we know
China's latest offshore wind turbines are setting world records, with massive 25-megawatt machines planned for a new testing center in Fujian province, according to Interesting Engineering. These giants produce enough electricity to power thousands of homes while creating no pollution. The project marks a turning point in the global push for cleaner power sources. Offshore wind turbines can be built far out at sea where winds blow harder, making them an intelligent addition to the clean energy mix that doesn't take up valuable land. Do you think America could ever go zero-waste? Never Not anytime soon Maybe in some states Definitely Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Chinese manufacturers now lead in building the most powerful turbines. The new testing site will push technical limits even further, hosting 20 turbines, including five 25-megawatt and 10 20-megawatt models. "The platform is the first testing facility with independent intellectual property rights, international-level technical standards, and comprehensive testing capabilities," reported Interesting Engineering. The State Grid Corporation of China and China Huadian Corporation are funding this key piece of the country's five-year development plan. China already tops the world in offshore wind with 39.1 million kilowatts of capacity. Now it's helping other nations transition to cleaner power too: Chinese companies make 70% of wind equipment used worldwide. This has helped lower the cost of wind energy by 60%. In the United States, a wind farm is being built off the coast of Maryland that can power 770,000 households and will create over 2,000 jobs in seven years. The testing center brings together leading research groups like the China Electric Power Research Institute and Shandong University. It's the only facility in China that can certify both turbine designs and grid connections. By 2025, China plans to get 21% of its energy from clean sources such as wind and solar, rising to 25% by 2030. Construction of this facility started in December 2023, with the transmission testing platform opening in December 2024. The completed project will make Fujian province a global hub for offshore wind innovation. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
