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China is Acting on Climate Change & the Country Can do More
Natural Resources Defense Council
Jake Schmidt’s Blog
China is Acting on Climate Change & the Country Can do More
Posted December 6, 2013
The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t go to China very often. But when she does it generates a lot of attention. After all, Administrator McCarthy and the EPA are important actors in implementing President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. They also know quite a bit about how to address local air pollution as they have played a central role in America’s effort to significantly clean the air over the past 40 years. Both of those issues – carbon and air pollution – are front and center in the mind of Chinese officials at this very moment. So as Administrator McCarthy heads to China next week it is important to look at China’s climate actions with clear eyes. The truth is quite simple: China is acting on climate change and it can do more.
Some may use this trip to rail against U.S. efforts to address carbon pollution. They’ll argue that the U.S. shouldn’t act because China isn’t doing anything to control its air pollution. I’m sure they’ll use the air pollution spikes in China that are making front page news as a prime example. This is an argument that we’ve heard for many, many years. The American public doesn’t seem to buy it as poll after poll shows that the U.S. should act aggressively to curb climate pollution. So even if the American public perceives that China isn’t acting on climate change, they clearly aren’t arguing for putting the brakes on carbon pollution standards that save lives, create jobs, and address climate change. But the premise that “China is doing nothing” to address climate change is wrong. So let’s look at what is happening in China.
China committed internationally to cut its carbon pollution. As a part of the Copenhagen Climate Summit the Chinese committed to cut their carbon pollution intensity by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2020. They followed up by enshrining that target in domestic law and set interim targets through 2015, with specific targets per province. Intense action is happening throughout the country to meet these targets.
China has become a global leader on clean energy deployment. Last year China was the leading investor in renewable energy, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The country invested over $66 billion in renewable energy in 2012. And while the totals for this year aren’t final, it is clear that the pace of clean energy deployment in China continues to surge with recent data showing that China doubled its pace of adding renewable energy capacity in the first 10 months. As a response to their air pollution challenge they have significantly increased their renewable goals in recent months. We expect even more renewable energy action to be unveiled in the coming months.
Air pollution has quickly risen to the top of China’s political agenda....
Jake Schmidt’s Blog
China is Acting on Climate Change & the Country Can do More
Posted December 6, 2013
The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t go to China very often. But when she does it generates a lot of attention. After all, Administrator McCarthy and the EPA are important actors in implementing President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. They also know quite a bit about how to address local air pollution as they have played a central role in America’s effort to significantly clean the air over the past 40 years. Both of those issues – carbon and air pollution – are front and center in the mind of Chinese officials at this very moment. So as Administrator McCarthy heads to China next week it is important to look at China’s climate actions with clear eyes. The truth is quite simple: China is acting on climate change and it can do more.
Some may use this trip to rail against U.S. efforts to address carbon pollution. They’ll argue that the U.S. shouldn’t act because China isn’t doing anything to control its air pollution. I’m sure they’ll use the air pollution spikes in China that are making front page news as a prime example. This is an argument that we’ve heard for many, many years. The American public doesn’t seem to buy it as poll after poll shows that the U.S. should act aggressively to curb climate pollution. So even if the American public perceives that China isn’t acting on climate change, they clearly aren’t arguing for putting the brakes on carbon pollution standards that save lives, create jobs, and address climate change. But the premise that “China is doing nothing” to address climate change is wrong. So let’s look at what is happening in China.
China committed internationally to cut its carbon pollution. As a part of the Copenhagen Climate Summit the Chinese committed to cut their carbon pollution intensity by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2020. They followed up by enshrining that target in domestic law and set interim targets through 2015, with specific targets per province. Intense action is happening throughout the country to meet these targets.
China has become a global leader on clean energy deployment. Last year China was the leading investor in renewable energy, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The country invested over $66 billion in renewable energy in 2012. And while the totals for this year aren’t final, it is clear that the pace of clean energy deployment in China continues to surge with recent data showing that China doubled its pace of adding renewable energy capacity in the first 10 months. As a response to their air pollution challenge they have significantly increased their renewable goals in recent months. We expect even more renewable energy action to be unveiled in the coming months.
Air pollution has quickly risen to the top of China’s political agenda....
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jschmidt/china_is_acting_on_climate_cha.html
11 replies
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The 2040 and 2050 goals you are quoting for nuclear are highly suspect. The growth of manufacturing base for renewables, and the consequent decline in pricing is driving a complete rethink in China's policies. They had a far higher 2020 goal just a few years ago, while their renewable goals have been increasing at an incredible rate.
S. Korea is also reconsidering it's dedication to nuclear because of widespread corruption in the industry. The public pressure right now to shut down the nuclear plants is high and getting higher as every 'minor' incident reminds the public that they have no basis to trust the quality of the construction of their fleet.
I bring that up because China has a similar problem as exemplified by the imprisonment of the head of their largest nuclear energy firm.
19 November 2010
Former China nuclear head jailed for life over bribes
The former head of China's main nuclear energy company has been jailed for life for taking almost $1m in bribes. Kang Rixin was dismissed last year from the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation, the biggest operator of nuclear power plants in China. He was convicted by a Beijing court of abusing his position to enable others to profit, state media said. He was spared the death penalty because he co-operated with investigators and returned the funds....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11794199
Former China nuclear head jailed for life over bribes
The former head of China's main nuclear energy company has been jailed for life for taking almost $1m in bribes. Kang Rixin was dismissed last year from the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation, the biggest operator of nuclear power plants in China. He was convicted by a Beijing court of abusing his position to enable others to profit, state media said. He was spared the death penalty because he co-operated with investigators and returned the funds....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11794199
Would you like to speculate what is going to happen to all of that capacity if/when the results of such corruption comes home to roost in the form of another Chernobyl scale release?
Now, about renewables in China let me say one thing before I let the World Resource Institute explain it for you. As recently at 2006, renewables weren't even a thought in China. They were following the World Bank standard model of energy infrastructure development (which has since changed) and focused on building out an electrical system of large scale thermal generation. Then, everything changed in 2007 with the publication of their first renewable energy resource assessment. Once their huge renewable resources were realized by the Communist Party and under pressure to curb GHG emissions by the world community, they overtly shifted gears and started the most remarkable renewable buildout the world has yet seen. In 6 years they've gone from essentially ZERO renewables other than solar hot water, to what is listed below.
And speaking of solar water heating, they were reported to have 100 million sqm of solar collectors, or 80% of world capacity. The same article states that by 2015 they expect to increase that to 2.3 billion sqm. Now, I haven't done the math, but I'm guessing that equals a shitton of nuclear reactors. http://www.procurasia.com/china-world-leader-solar-water-heating/
ChinaFAQs: Renewable Energy In China - An Overview
Posted by Jonathan Moch on Jul 16, 2013
Currently, China gets about 8% of its total primary energy from non-fossil sources. Official targets aim to increase that share to at least 11.4 % in 2015 and 15% in 2020.
Current Energy Production in China
Although China still relies on coal to produce around two-thirds of its total primary energy,1 in recent years it has rapidly promoted renewable alternatives, including hydro, wind, solar and biomass power.2 Additionally, growth in demand for coal is projected to slow in the coming years.3 China currently ranks first in terms of installed wind power and hydropower. China is also the world’s leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic cells, with a 30% global market share.4
Currently, China gets about 8% of its primary energy from renewable sources.5 China’s 12th Five Year Plan (12FYP) sets out a specific goal of 11.4% of total primary energy from non-fossil sources by 2015, and 15% by 2020.6 China has been following up on its goals with significant investments in renewable energy, including over $65 billion invested in 2012.7 If China’s efforts to transform its energy sources are successful, these renewables would displace dirtier fuels such as coal, helping China slow growth in greenhouse gas emissions.
Sources of Renewable Energy
In China, renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar photovoltaic, and hydropower are mostly used to make electricity rather than provide heat. However, biomass (such as trees and crops) is often burned to produce heat, mostly in rural areas, and sometimes converted to liquid fuel. Here is some of the key information on renewable sectors in China:
Hydropower is the country’s single largest renewable power source, providing about 18% of China’s total electricity.8 China currently has 229 GW of installed hydropower, making it the world’s largest generator of hydropower with about a quarter of the world’s total.9 In addition to the better-known, large-scale hydroelectricity projects, China is the world’s biggest user of small-scale hydropower. Estimated capacity for small hydro is 65 GW.10 By comparison, total small hydro capacity in the United States is 48.7 GW.11 The official Chinese target for all hydropower in 2015 is 290 GW.12
Wind is the second leading source for renewable power in China, with installed capacity in 2012 reaching 75 GW.13 The Chinese market for wind power is growing very rapidly, currently the fastest in the world:14 China’s wind power capacity has increased over a hundredfold in the past decade.15 The current target for wind in 2015 is 100 GW.16
Solar production from China accounted for nearly 30% of global solar PV supply in 2012. Although China is already the world’s largest supplier of photovoltaic cells, the industry has been internationally oriented, relying mainly on exports..17 However, recent difficulties in the international market have led China to greatly increase its focus on domestic deployment..18 China currently has about 7 GW of installed solar PV,.19 and has a target of over 35 GW of solar PV to be installed by 2015.20
Biomass, such as wood, peat and energy crops, so far plays a relatively small role overall, but is important in some niches. Some biomass is burned to provide heat, some is converted to “biogas” for a variety of uses, and some is converted to liquid fuels. Government plans, however, call for scaling up biomass use. China is the world’s third largest producer of fuel ethanol (2.5% of world’s total in 2012).21 China also has 8 GW of biomass power installed,22 and aims to increase this number to 13 GW by 2015.23 In rural areas, the goal is to have 50 million households using biogas as their primary source of energy.24
Promoting Renewable Energy in China
China has established a legal framework for promoting renewable energy, through its Renewable Energy Law, which promoted renewable energy by combining mandated targets, market-based incentives, and direct subsidies.25 One major challenge is connecting “intermittent” sources of electricity like wind or solar to the national grid. However, new policy initiatives are attempting to address the problem. For example, China is looking at the idea of a renewable energy quota, which would require a certain amount of total electricity consumption to come from renewable sources, thus lessening the amount of idle intermittent power.26 These type of policies, along with tax breaks, preferential loans, and other financial incentives that encourage investors to back renewable ventures help explain why China is making significant progress on renewable energy, and how it is working towards overcoming the various obstacles that arise.27
For more information see: Renewable Energy In China: A Graphical Overview of 2012
This fact sheet is a product of ChinaFAQs, a joint project of the World Resources Institute and experts from leading American universities, think tanks and government laboratories. Find out more about the ChinaFAQs Project at: http://www.ChinaFAQs.org/
Contact
Jonathan Moch
ChinaFAQs Project Specialist,
Climate and Energy Program
World Resources Institute
Jonathan.Moch@wri.org
(202) 729-7845
Posted by Jonathan Moch on Jul 16, 2013
Currently, China gets about 8% of its total primary energy from non-fossil sources. Official targets aim to increase that share to at least 11.4 % in 2015 and 15% in 2020.
Solar Power: China is the world’s largest producer and exporter of solar cells (PVs). In 2012, China manufactured 30% of all PV cells in the world. China currently has about 7 GW of solar installed, but is attempting to dramatically scale up domestic deployment of solar PV, with a target of at least 35 GW installed by 2015
Hydropower: China is the largest hydropower generator in the world, with about 229 Gigawatts (GW), and a target of 290 GW for 2015.
Wind Power: China ranks 1st in the world in installed wind power capacity, with 75 GW. China is also the world’s fastest-growing installer of wind, and it aims to have 100 GW of wind installed by 2015.
Current Energy Production in China
Although China still relies on coal to produce around two-thirds of its total primary energy,1 in recent years it has rapidly promoted renewable alternatives, including hydro, wind, solar and biomass power.2 Additionally, growth in demand for coal is projected to slow in the coming years.3 China currently ranks first in terms of installed wind power and hydropower. China is also the world’s leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic cells, with a 30% global market share.4
Currently, China gets about 8% of its primary energy from renewable sources.5 China’s 12th Five Year Plan (12FYP) sets out a specific goal of 11.4% of total primary energy from non-fossil sources by 2015, and 15% by 2020.6 China has been following up on its goals with significant investments in renewable energy, including over $65 billion invested in 2012.7 If China’s efforts to transform its energy sources are successful, these renewables would displace dirtier fuels such as coal, helping China slow growth in greenhouse gas emissions.
Sources of Renewable Energy
In China, renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar photovoltaic, and hydropower are mostly used to make electricity rather than provide heat. However, biomass (such as trees and crops) is often burned to produce heat, mostly in rural areas, and sometimes converted to liquid fuel. Here is some of the key information on renewable sectors in China:
Hydropower is the country’s single largest renewable power source, providing about 18% of China’s total electricity.8 China currently has 229 GW of installed hydropower, making it the world’s largest generator of hydropower with about a quarter of the world’s total.9 In addition to the better-known, large-scale hydroelectricity projects, China is the world’s biggest user of small-scale hydropower. Estimated capacity for small hydro is 65 GW.10 By comparison, total small hydro capacity in the United States is 48.7 GW.11 The official Chinese target for all hydropower in 2015 is 290 GW.12
Wind is the second leading source for renewable power in China, with installed capacity in 2012 reaching 75 GW.13 The Chinese market for wind power is growing very rapidly, currently the fastest in the world:14 China’s wind power capacity has increased over a hundredfold in the past decade.15 The current target for wind in 2015 is 100 GW.16
Solar production from China accounted for nearly 30% of global solar PV supply in 2012. Although China is already the world’s largest supplier of photovoltaic cells, the industry has been internationally oriented, relying mainly on exports..17 However, recent difficulties in the international market have led China to greatly increase its focus on domestic deployment..18 China currently has about 7 GW of installed solar PV,.19 and has a target of over 35 GW of solar PV to be installed by 2015.20
Biomass, such as wood, peat and energy crops, so far plays a relatively small role overall, but is important in some niches. Some biomass is burned to provide heat, some is converted to “biogas” for a variety of uses, and some is converted to liquid fuels. Government plans, however, call for scaling up biomass use. China is the world’s third largest producer of fuel ethanol (2.5% of world’s total in 2012).21 China also has 8 GW of biomass power installed,22 and aims to increase this number to 13 GW by 2015.23 In rural areas, the goal is to have 50 million households using biogas as their primary source of energy.24
Promoting Renewable Energy in China
China has established a legal framework for promoting renewable energy, through its Renewable Energy Law, which promoted renewable energy by combining mandated targets, market-based incentives, and direct subsidies.25 One major challenge is connecting “intermittent” sources of electricity like wind or solar to the national grid. However, new policy initiatives are attempting to address the problem. For example, China is looking at the idea of a renewable energy quota, which would require a certain amount of total electricity consumption to come from renewable sources, thus lessening the amount of idle intermittent power.26 These type of policies, along with tax breaks, preferential loans, and other financial incentives that encourage investors to back renewable ventures help explain why China is making significant progress on renewable energy, and how it is working towards overcoming the various obstacles that arise.27
For more information see: Renewable Energy In China: A Graphical Overview of 2012
This fact sheet is a product of ChinaFAQs, a joint project of the World Resources Institute and experts from leading American universities, think tanks and government laboratories. Find out more about the ChinaFAQs Project at: http://www.ChinaFAQs.org/
Contact
Jonathan Moch
ChinaFAQs Project Specialist,
Climate and Energy Program
World Resources Institute
Jonathan.Moch@wri.org
(202) 729-7845
http://www.chinafaqs.org/library/chinafaqs-renewable-energy-china-overview-0
