Wind power is gaining popularity in China, with 4,000MW of capacity possible by the end of 2007, according to research by Industrial Info Resources.

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For next year, capacity is expected to reach 5,000MW, two years ahead of the national development plan. The plan called for 5,000MW by 2010 and 30,000MW by 2020, the research showed.

The country’s geography provides an estimated wind power potential of 3.2 billion kilowatts and it is expected to surpass Germany and the U.S. as the world’s largest wind power producer by 2020, the report said.

In the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), China plans to set up 30 wind power projects of 100MW, the research showed.

According to the report, the push for capacity is due to the Renewable Energy Law of China that came into effect early last year.