World's tallest tower for gauging wind completed

Deep in the wind-swept expanses of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a 360-meter wind measurement tower has become fully operational, marking a new milestone in the country's drive to advance next-generation renewable energy infrastructure.

Standing taller than the Eiffel Tower, the structure is the tallest of its kind in the global wind power industry. It anchors an 800-megawatt experimental wind farm in Mulei Kazak autonomous county, according to the Urumqi-headquartered National Technology Innovation Center for Wind Power, which operates the facility.

Designed to capture complex high-altitude atmospheric data, the tower conducts gradient observations of wind speed, direction, shear and turbulence intensity at various heights.

Zhang Ziping, executive deputy general manager of the center's corporate entity, said the data collected will assist in high-altitude wind energy research and provide a verification basis for designing large-scale wind turbines and building a new-type power system.

As manufacturers push to build larger and higher-capacity turbines to capture the stronger and steadier winds found higher in the atmosphere, engineers require precise data that traditional ground-level weather stations are unable to provide.

The tower, which was completed on Sept 17, combined with turbine wake monitoring systems and a network of lidar sensors, will create a comprehensive observation network. Industry experts say it will offer a standardized experimental site for formulating and revising China's wind power standards.

"The tower's completion will significantly enhance China's capabilities in high-altitude wind resource observation, testing and verification," Zhang said.

Also on Sept 17, the center for wind power signed agreements with 11 wind measurement equipment manufacturers and six universities to deepen cooperation between industry and academia.

The completion of the massive measurement tower highlights Xinjiang's rapid transformation into a colossal hub for renewable power.

Capitalizing on average annual wind speeds of up to 8.2 meters per second and over 1,700 hours of effective sunlight, Mulei county has attracted more than 60 new energy enterprises.

In late 2024, it became Xinjiang's first county-level 10-million-kilowatt new energy base, with its grid-connected capacity exceeding 20 million kilowatts by the end of 2025.

Li Fengping, head of the county's bureau of commerce, science and technology, and industry and information technology, said Mulei will continue optimizing its business environment and welcomes further cooperation with enterprises, research institutions, universities and industry organizations.

Local officials say the county has established a complete supply chain, encompassing everything from wind turbines and blades to photovoltaic modules and energy storage equipment.

Across Xinjiang, the clean energy transition is accelerating. According to State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co, grid-connected new energy generation hit 89.3 billion kilowatt-hours in the first half of the year — comprising more than 30 percent of total regional power generation.

By the end of June, the region's total installed power grid capacity exceeded 267 gigawatts, with new energy accounting for 65 percent.