China Constructing More Wind And Solar Power Than Others: Report (Representational image@Pixabay)
China is now constructing wind and solar power nearly twice as much as the rest of the world combined, according to report submitted by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), an NGO. It is said that China has 180 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar power under construction and 15GW of wind power. That makes the total of wind and solar power under construction to 339GW, far ahead of the 40GW under construction in the US.
Notably, the researchers only looked at solar farms with a capacity of 20MW or more, which feeds directly into the grid. It means that the total volume of solar power in China could be much higher, as small scale solar farms account for about 40% of China’s solar capacity.
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The report highlights China’s leading position in global renewable energy production at a time when the US is increasingly worried about Chinese overcapacity and dumping, particularly in the solar industry.
Beijing, encouraged by strong government support, has experienced a boom in renewables in recent years. President Xi Jinping has stressed the need for “new quality productive forces”, a slogan which signifies a desire to pivot China’s economy towards technology and innovation. The President has said that “new quality productive forces” includes strengthening green manufacturing.
According GEM, China installed more solar than it had in the previous three years combined, and more than the rest of the world combined for 2023, within last year. It said, China is all poised to reach 1,200GW of installed wind and solar capacity by the end of 2024, which is six years ahead of the government’s target.
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“The unabated wave of construction guarantees that China will continue leading in wind and solar installation in the near future, far ahead of the rest of the world”, said the report.
At the same time, analysts have cautioned that still more renewable capacity will be needed if China is to meet its target of reducing the carbon intensity of the economy by 18%, which is an important factor in reducing emissions. Carbon intensity refers to how many grams of CO2 are released to produce a kilowatt hour of electricity.
