Jul 18, 2024 21:00:00

In China, solar and wind power plants with an area equivalent to five large nuclear power plants are being built every week

As China's economy continues to develop, the introduction of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power is progressing at a rapid pace. According to an analysis by the Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF), China is installing 10 gigawatts of solar and wind power plants every two weeks.

MONTHLY CHINA ENERGY UPDATE | China to Achieve its 2030 Energy Target in July 2024 - MONTHLY-CHINA-ENERGY-UPDATE-_-China-to-Achieve-its-2030-Energy-Target-in-July-2024.pdf
(PDF file)

https://climateenergyfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/MONTHLY-CHINA-ENERGY-UPDATE-_-China-to-Achieve-its-2030-Energy-Target-in-July-2024.pdf

China is installing the wind and solar equivalent of five large nuclear power stations per week - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-07-16/chinas-renewable-energy-boom-breaks-records/104086640

China once relied so heavily on fossil fuels for power generation that it accounted for about one-third of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. However, in recent years, the use of renewable energy has been rapidly increasing, and Shuyang Dong, an energy policy analyst at CEF, predicts that 'as renewable energy power generation becomes more widespread, China's greenhouse gas emissions will level off and gradually decline after 2030.'

In China, solar and wind power plants have been installed in

the Gobi Desert in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the energy generated there is sent to cities such as Beijing via what are said to be the world's longest high-voltage transmission lines.

On the other hand, the amount of electricity generated by renewable energy sources is still not as large as that generated by fossil fuels. In fact,

the capacity factor of renewable energy sources is around 25%, while that of nuclear power is as high as 90%.

China is building solar and wind power plants each week with an area equivalent to the size of five large nuclear power plants, but they generate roughly the same amount of electricity as one nuclear power plant. So China is combining pumped hydro storage with batteries, and building many fossil fuel power plants to meet its energy needs.

Due to the rapid installation of solar and wind power plants, the proportion of coal in the country's total power generation is on the decline, and the China Energy Commission predicts that 'power generation from renewable energy will exceed that from thermal power plants by the end of 2024.' Furthermore, if the introduction of renewable energy continues at this pace, the installation target for the end of 2030 will be achieved by the end of July 2024.

'The speed and scale at which China is implementing environmental measures sets an example for the rest of the world to implement similar initiatives,' Dong said.

CEF Director Tim Buckley also praised China, saying, 'The introduction of renewable energy in countries like Australia takes a very long time, from planning to approval. In contrast, in China, once a plan is made, it is put into action immediately.' He added, 'China will take on a leadership role in the introduction of renewable energy.'