On Mount Yinjia in Zaoyang, a clean and regular flow of electricity is provided by the wind farm.

Between the blue sky and white clouds, 33 wind turbines of milky white, 80 meters high, stand between the peaks and valleys of the hills. Their three 43-meter-long propellers turn with the wind, making for a very spectacular sight. On April 13, a reporter arrived in the villages of Taiping and Xinshi in Zaoyang city, and was amazed by what he saw in the wind farm of Mount Yinjia.

This wind power project was set up by the company Huarun New Energy Investment, which invested 500 million yuan last year for its construction. On Jan. 12, it was officially brought into service, and it is the first wind power project in Xiangyang. "The total installed capacity is 49,500 kw achieved through the erection of 33 autonomous turbines of 1500 kW each," said Zou Rui, deputy director of Huarun. As of April 14, the wind farm of Mount Yinjia had generated over 23 million kWh in three months. 

According to Zou Rui, the wind farm could provide an annual capacity of 86.47 million kwh, which corresponds to an average capacity of 2.62 million kwh per turbine. Compared to the production of thermal energy, which consumes 340g of coal per kwh, wind energy will save 25,400 tons of standard coal annually, while reducing annual emissions of soot by about 427 tonnes and of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide by about 2,057 tons.

Zaoyang city, located in the region of Tongbai Mountains is a place with plenty of wind. In the past, the wind was regarded as a serious problem in Zaoyang.

Today Zaoyang has turned this 'disadvantage' into a useful resource that not only contributes substanially to energy savings, but also brings significant economic benefits. The wind farm has also become a tourist attraction, bringing a large number of photographers and outdoor sports enthusiasts and stimulating the development of the local catering industry and accommodation.

According to an official from the Development and Reform Office in Zaoyang City, there are two projects currently under construction - the Baihe wind farm with a total installed capacity of 49,800 kilowatts, and that of Bailu, with a total installed capacity of 20,000 kilowatts. Another Pinglin project with a total installed capacity of 50 thousand kilowatts should be approved by the Provincial Commission of Development and Reform in May 2015. That will bring Huarun's investment in wind energy projects in Zaoyang to a total of 3.5 billion yuan.