Regions across China have actively and prudently moved toward carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and accelerated the green and low-carbon energy transition, promoting the robust growth of the green energy industry.
China\’s installed renewable energy capacity surged in the first three quarters of 2023, with renewable energy capacity additions rising 93 percent year on year to 172 million kW, accounting for 76 percent of the country\’s total newly added installations, according to the latest data from the National Energy Administration (NEA).
In China, using green electricity as the only source of power has become the normal practice at more exhibition events, including the sixth China International Import Expo, the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, the 134th Canton Fair, and the 2023 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit.
Photo shows China\’s Baihetan Hydropower Station. The power station had generated over 94.6 billion kWh of electricity cumulatively as of Sept. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)
In recent years, China\’s electricity generated by clean energy sources, including wind, water, nuclear and solar energy, has continued to grow, and the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption to total energy consumption has continued to rise. As of the first half of this year, China\’s installed capacity of renewable energy exceeded 1.3 billion kW, historically surpassing the installed capacity of coal-based power.
China is accelerating the construction of new energy bases in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, the Hexi Corridor and other regions, focusing on sandy areas, rocky areas and deserts.
\”The first batch of wind and photovoltaic (PV) power stations all broke ground. The construction of the second batch of projects has been launched, and a list of the third batch of projects has been issued,\” Dong Wancheng, deputy director of the development and planning department of the NEA, recently said.
Data shows that China\’s wind and PV power generation reached 1.07 trillion kWh in the first three quarters of 2023, up 22.3 percent year on year, exceeding the total electrical consumption of Chinese residents during the same period.
The internal structure of Linglong One, the world\’s first land-based commercial small modular reactor, was completed in the Changjiang Li Autonomous County, south China\’s Hainan Province on Nov. 3. It is the world\’s first small modular reactor to pass the safety review of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Once in operation, it is expected to generate approximately 1 billion kWh in electricity annually to meet the needs of 526,000 households. It is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 880,000 tonnes per year, an amount equivalent to the effect of planting 7.5 million trees a year.
In 2022, China\’s nuclear power units generated 417.78 billion kWh of electricity, up 2.5 percent year on year, accounting for about 4.7 percent of the country\’s total electricity generation, according to a report titled China Nuclear Energy Development Report 2023 released by the China Nuclear Energy Association. Nuclear power generation in the country ranks second in the world.
China\’s installed capacity of hydropower also ranks first worldwide, and hydroelectricity is the country\’s second largest energy source. In the first three quarters of 2023, 7.88 million kW of additional hydropower capacity was installed in the country.
By the end of June, the cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage projects completed and put into operation in China exceeded 17.33 million kW, with an average storage time of 2.1 hours.
China has led the world in a number of advanced technologies and equipment, such as high-efficiency PV power generation and large-capacity wind power, and has made new breakthroughs in major scientific and technological innovations like domestic third-generation nuclear power technology and large-scale energy storage, said Li Chuangjun, director of the new energy and renewable energy department of the NEA.
Heating with nuclear power has become a new application scenario for nuclear energy. Haiyang, a county-level city in east China’s Shandong Province, became the first Chinese city to enjoy a winter with carbon-free heating with nuclear power. In November 2022, the heating project of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in northeast China\’s Liaoning Province was put into use, making it the first nuclear energy heating project in northeast China. One month later, the first nuclear heating project in the southern parts of China was put into operation in Haiyan county, east China\’s Zhejiang Province.
The National Development and Reform Commission and the NEA issued a plan on the development of hydrogen energy for the 2021-2035 period in March 2022. The plan states that by 2025, China will basically master the core technologies and manufacturing processes, and have about 50,000 fuel-cell vehicles on its road. Annual hydrogen production from renewable energy is expected to reach 100,000 tonnes to 200,000 tonnes by 2025 to enable carbon dioxide emissions reduction of 1 million to 2 million tonnes per year.
In the first half of this year, the output of new energy vehicles, solar cells, and charging piles in China increased by 35 percent, 54.5 percent and 53.1 percent, respectively, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
China has brought products, technologies and experiences in areas like hydropower, PV, new energy vehicles and clean production to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China pledged not to build new coal-fired power projects abroad and called on various parties to continuously support the green and low-carbon energy transition in BRI partner countries.
Over the past decade, China has provided over two-thirds of global wind turbine equipment, with wind turbines exported to 49 countries and regions. In the first half of this year, the country\’s newly installed wind capacity accounted for over 40 percent of the global total.
China\’s exports of PV products rose about 6 percent year on year to $32 billion between January and July this year, a new high.
China has formed the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition with more than 150 partners from over 40 countries, and established the Belt and Road Energy Partnership with 32 countries.
The BRI has become a major force in advancing the global energy transition, said James Thornton, president and founder of ClientEarth, a well-known environmental organization, adding that countries can leverage China\’s technological and manufacturing capabilities to facilitate their energy transition and green development.