# Overview of Wind Power Industry Value Chain Using Diamond Model: A Case Study from China
## 4 Discussion
### Measurement Discussion  
According to a comprehensive analysis about the value chain in Section 3, the development route of the wind power industry in China in recent years has focused on installed capacity and wind farm scales instead of the overall wind power industry, i.e., wind farms, power transmission, power distribution, power selling, ES firms, end users, and so on. However, the value creation and innovation effect of the wind power value chain should combine every spot in the value chain, and search for a symbiotic effect. In other words, a gap exists between actual performance and the expected wind power industry value chain in China. To reduce the gap, this section will provide the appropriate measurements; our framework is shown in Figure 16.  
1. Encourage a diversified business model. The power system in China is dominated by the State and China Southern Power Grids, of which wind power occupies a small proportion in the energy consumption structure. To increase the value creation and innovation effect of the whole value chain, we should keep our eyes on an overall level. As part of the high value-adding section, a diversified business model should be adopted. According to Opinions about Further Deepening the Reform of Electric Power System ([2015] No. 9), issued by the State Council, a diversified business model including integrating renewable power with traditional power, cross-regional energy complementarity, power system optimization, and heat supply using renewable energy would be adopted. Wind power development and operations would be open to social capital with public-private partnerships (PPPs). End users can participate in wind power system operations as the investors and promotes of wind power grid connections and industrial development. 2. Enhance R&D and independent innovation abilities. As another part of the high value-adding section, improvements in R&D and independent innovation abilities will effectively increase the value creation and innovation effects of the overall value chain of wind power. Challenges such as shortages of suitable and national technical codes for wind power integration, quality problem of wind power equipment, reliance on key design techniques of European and American companies, and an imperfect certification system for wind turbines require core technology R&D and improvements in the capacity of independent innovation. China should apply Big data, 3D printing, and other intelligent manufacturing technologies in promoting the performance and intelligence levels of the wind power industry, break though design and manufacturing technology for 10 MW level, high-capacity wind turbines and key components, and encourage the application of innovative technology to improve quality and reduce operation costs. 3. Professional cultivation. The shortage of wind power professional talent is one of the main factors hindering the value adding effect of the wind power industry in China. At present, only 16 universities in China have established Bachelor's degrees in wind power engineering, and talent cultivation in Chinese universities takes at least 4 years; as such, professionals are in short supply. The Thirteen Five-Year Plan for Wind Power Development ([2016] No. 314) laid out a plan to increase the employment scale of the wind power industry to 0.8 million people, with 0.3 million newly-added employees by 2020 [63]. This plan challenges the current talent situation, and raises nationwide professional cultivation needs. China should train qualified professionals by cooperation with the state, society, universities, research institutions, and enterprises. 4. Effectively reduce wind rejection rate. To avoid resource waste and value loss, electricity generated with wind power should be consumed in surrounding regions with diversified utilization forms, namely \"elimination on the spot\", and allocated with cross-region and cross-province transmission lines to increase the proportion of wind power in the energy consumption structure.