China noticed monumental photo voltaic and wind progress in 2024, in accordance with knowledge launched at present by its Nationwide Vitality Administration (NEA).
China’s put in capability shot up by 14.6% final yr, now surpassing 3,348 gigawatts (GW).
Photo voltaic noticed the most important leap, with a record-breaking 45.2% improve (+277 GW), attaining 887 GW general. Wind energy additionally noticed strong progress, climbing 18% (+80 GW) to virtually 521 GW.
In 2020, President Xi Jinping set a aim of not less than 1,200 GW of photo voltaic and wind capability by 2030. China met that focus on final yr – practically six years forward of schedule – in accordance with NEA knowledge from August.
The nation has additionally constructed practically twice as a lot wind and photo voltaic as each different nation mixed.
Hydropower rose 3.2% to just about 436 GW, and nuclear ticked up 6.9% to achieve near 61 GW. In the meantime, thermal capability grew by 3.8% to over 1,444 GW. (The NEA doesn’t break down what powers the thermal capability, however my educated guess is usually fossil fuels.)
On the era aspect, China, the world’s largest electrical energy producer, produced 9,418 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electrical energy in 2024 – a 4.6% improve in comparison with the yr earlier than. Breaking it down, thermal energy era was up 1.5%, hydropower and wind each grew by 11%, and photo voltaic led the pack once more with an enormous 28% increase. Electrical energy consumption additionally noticed vital progress, leaping 6.8% to 9,852 TWh in 2024.
China is way forward of everybody else with renewable power installations, however coal nonetheless performs a giant function within the nation’s power combine. That stated, there are indicators it may be beginning to kick its coal behavior. Coal energy permits dropped by an enormous 83% in H1 2024 in comparison with H1 2023, and no new coal-based steelmaking initiatives had been authorised throughout that point.
Electrek’s Take
No. 1 polluter, China, was already far forward of the No. 2 polluter, the US, within the transition to renewables. However with Donald Trump pulling the US out of the Paris Settlement (becoming a member of simply Iran, Libya, and Yemen) once more, halting wind venture allowing and leasing, and issuing a collection of silly government orders favoring fossil fuels and placing obstacles within the profitable renewable sector’s means, it appears to be like like China is poised to go away the US even additional within the mud.
Learn extra: The US’s largest offshore wind farm is on price range and on time
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