Huge growth of solar energy in China. Coal far behind

During the first quarter of this year, solar electricity production in China experienced a notable surge of 33.7%, in contrast to the same period in the previous year. In comparison, coal-fired power plants registered a much more modest increase of only 1.8%.

China’s current installed capacity for solar power plants stands at 430 GW, encompassing both photovoltaic installations and thermal energy production systems. Remarkably, this figure is nearly half of the installed capacity observed in coal-fired power plants, which totals 1,130 GW.

Other sources of energy are also growing

In the first quarter of this year, the installed capacity of hydroelectric power plants in China reached 420 GW, marking a growth of 5.4% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Concurrently, energy production from gas experienced a notable increase of 7.4%, while nuclear energy witnessed a rise of 4.3%.

An interesting highlight is the substantial 8% increase in energy production from biomass sources. Presently, the capacity of units utilizing biomass for energy generation stands at approximately 42 GW.

China’s climate goals

On September 23, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a significant announcement at the UN General Assembly, indicating China’s commitment to stepping up its efforts in addressing climate change.

Forecasts indicate that China’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to peak before the year 2030. Furthermore, President Xi declared China’s ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

These announcements were widely welcomed on the global stage due to China’s status as one of the world’s leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.