China Surges Ahead in Renewable Power

China is propelling its renewable power sector to new heights, set to exceed its wind and solar energy target five years ahead of schedule. According to a report by @GlobalEnergyMonitor, China is on track to double its capacity and generate a staggering 1,200 gigawatts of clean energy by 2025, surpassing its 2030 goal. The country's utility-scale solar capacity has already reached an impressive 228GW, surpassing the combined capacity of the rest of the world. Concentrated in northern and north-western provinces like Shanxi, Xinjiang, and Hebei, these installations showcase China's leadership in solar power.

Furthermore, the report identifies ambitious solar projects under construction that could add another 379GW of capacity, almost triple that of the US and nearly double that of Europe. China's wind power sector has also made remarkable progress, with a combined onshore and offshore capacity exceeding 310GW, equivalent to the capacity of the top seven wind-producing countries combined. With upcoming projects in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, and along coastal areas, China is poised to add another 371GW of wind power before 2025, significantly expanding the global wind fleet.
Dorothy Mei, a project manager at Global Energy Monitor, describes the data as providing unprecedented insight into China's awe-inspiring surge in solar and wind capacity. These findings align with previous reports and government data that predict China will easily surpass its target of meeting one-third of its power consumption from renewables by 2030.
China's commitment to green energy is part of its dual carbon goals outlined in 2020. As the world's second-largest economy and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China accounts for half of global coal consumption. President Xi Jinping pledged to achieve peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

However, China faces challenges in its energy transition. Record-breaking heatwaves and droughts have impacted hydropower stations, leading to power shortages and halting factory operations. Outdated electricity grids and limitations in energy transfer between regions also present uncertainties. While China recently launched the world's largest hybrid solar-hydro power plant in the Tibetan plateau, named Kela, with a current capacity of 20GW and projected to reach 50GW by 2030, there is still work to be done.
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China's energy grid organization sometimes incentivizes the construction of coal plants around renewable generators, and much of the new renewable capacity is not efficiently connected to local energy supply. Coal power approval in the first three months of 2023 exceeded that of the entire year 2021, indicating the need for bolder advancements in energy storage and green technologies.
Martin Weil, a researcher at Global Energy Monitor, emphasizes China's progress but underscores the importance of accelerating green initiatives for a secure energy future