Climate change: record clean energy generation could propel China to peak power sector emissions by 2025, report says

Name: Indonesia opens largest floating solar power plant in Southeast Asia as part of green push
Uploaded: 2023-11-29T00:00:18.000Z
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Description: Indonesia opens largest floating solar power plant in Southeast Asia as part of green push

‘The astonishing growth’ of clean energy installations means the country’s power sector is way ahead of the 2030 target, says climate think tank

However, continued investment in coal-based capacity and a lack of firm emissions targets undermine efforts green transition efforts, says report

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China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, is targeting peak carbon emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060. Photo: Xinhua

Yujie Xue

Published: 8:00am, 29 Nov 2023

Record clean energy installations could help China’s power sector to reach peak emissions in the next two years, but continued investment in coal-based capacity and a lack of firm emissions targets could undermine optimism about the country’s green transition, according to climate researchers.

China is expected to generate 440 terawatt hours (TWh) of clean electricity from solar, wind, hydro and nuclear sources in 2023, exceeding the country’s 10-year average electricity demand growth of 367 TWh for the first time, said Helsinki-based climate think tank the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

This could mark an “inflection point” in the country’s energy system, whereby non-fossil energy installations have reached a level at which they can start not only to cover all of the additional electricity demand, but to replace coal, CREA said in a report on Wednesday.

If the trend continues, China’s power sector emissions could peak and begin to fall in the next two years, CREA’s analysts estimated.

“The astonishing growth of clean energy installations in China up to 2023 means the country now has the ability to peak and decline carbon dioxide emissions imminently by ensuring the continuation of that growth,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA, in an email separate to the report.

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Indonesia opens largest floating solar power plant in Southeast Asia as part of green push

“Yet, China’s current climate commitments leave space for carbon dioxide emissions to increase until the end of this decade, which would make meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement all but impossible.”

Climate change: record clean energy generation could propel China to peak power sector emissions by 2025, report says

‘The astonishing growth’ of clean energy installations means the country’s power sector is way ahead of the 2030 target, says climate think tank However, continued investment in coal-based capacity and a lack of firm emissions targets undermine efforts green transition efforts, says report

‘The astonishing growth’ of clean energy installations means the country’s power sector is way ahead of the 2030 target, says climate think tank

However, continued investment in coal-based capacity and a lack of firm emissions targets undermine efforts green transition efforts, says report