Abstract:  To facilitate the assessment of the ecological value of wind energy and promote the local and proximate development of wind power in rural areas, this study analyzed the fundamental characteristics and development potential of wind resources in eastern, western and northern Guangdong. The analysis utilized wind resource assessment methodologies based on the latest ECMWF reanalysis V5 (ERA5) average wind speed data from the European Center for Medium−Range Weather Forecasts. The objective was to provide a reference for accelerating the green and low−carbon transition of rural energy systems. The results showed that from 2020 to 2024, the average surface wind speed at 100m height in these regions was 4.0m·s⁻¹, with a corresponding mean wind power density of 74.5W·m⁻². Based on the trading price of green electricity, the annual economic value of wind energy ecological products for a 2.0×10⁷W installed capacity per village was approximately 46.56 million yuan, 55.34 million yuan and 37.20 million yuan in eastern, western and northern Guangdong, respectively. If 20.0×10⁴ yuan was allocated annually to village collectives, this would increase the per−village disposable income by 0.6%, 0.4% and 0.8% in the respective regions. Under the construction targets of the "Nationwide Rural Wind Power Initiative" which aimed to develop six rural onshore wind projects per city, the annual electricity generation from these pilot villages could account for 9.4% of the total rural residential electricity consumption in the three regions, despite these villages representing merely 0.5% of the total villages locally. In conclusion, it is recommended that rural onshore wind power projects adopt land−saving technologies for wind turbine towers. Simultaneously, the efforts should be intensified to construct supporting projects such as ultra−fast charging stations and zero−carbon industrial parks in China's rural areas, thus broadening the pathway for new energy absorption. Pilot initiatives for rural onshore wind power in Guangdong should be prioritized in eastern and western Guangdong, so as to demonstrate good practice.

Key words: Wind energy assessment, Rural wind power, Wind power initiative, Wind power density, Ecological value of wind energy