China Powering Ahead With Renewables, Carbon Reduction

China has been making huge strides in shifting from its dependence on coal to renewables for power generation, a boon to achieving the country's "dual carbon" goals and tackling global climate change.

According to a report from the Xinhua News Agency, China's renewable energy power generation reached 2.7 trillion kWh in 2022, accounting for 31.6 percent of the country's total electricity consumption, an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared with 2021, the latest data from the National Energy Administration (NEA) shows.

The steady growth of renewables has been accompanied by accelerated investments in infrastructure projects. China saw several landmark energy projects completed in 2022, including the full operation of the Baihetan hydropower station, (pictured) the country's second-largest.

The accelerated development of China's renewable industry is a concrete step in the country's efforts to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

In 2022, China's renewable energy generation was equivalent to a reduction of 2.26 billion tonnes of domestic carbon dioxide emissions. Its exports of wind power and photovoltaic products helped other countries reduce emissions by approximately 573 million tonnes.

The two figures add up to 2.83 billion tonnes of emissions reduction, or about 41 percent of the global total of carbon emissions reduction due to renewable energy, NEA data shows.

Renewables are set to dominate the growth of the world's electricity supply over the next three years, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Here too China is also powering ahead and China-made photovoltaic modules, wind turbines, gearboxes and other key components accounted for 70% of the global market share last year.

#decarbonisation #renewables #solar #hydro