China to hit 500 gigawatts of renewable power by 2020

[bananas]

http://climateprogress.org/2010/12/06/energy-and-global-warming-news-for-december-6th-china-adding-500-gigawatts-of-renewable-power-by-2020-ny-carbon-auction-yields-16-9-million-michigan-senate%E2%80%99s-160-million-high-speed-rail-o/

Energy and Global Warming News for December 6th: China to hit 500 gigawatts of renewable power by 2020; NY carbon auction yields $16.9 million; Michigan Senate’s $160 million high-speed rail opportunity

December 6, 2010

JR: The staggering imbalance between the scale of clean energy action being pursued by China and that pursued by this country grows clearer every day.

China to hit 500 Gigawatts of Renewable Power by 2020!

On the same day that Senate Republicans filibustered a vote for renewable energy in the USA, by contrast – China has just published an astoundingly ambitious and exciting renewable energy plan for the next ten years.

China’s plan is to get a total of 500 Gigawatts of renewable energy on the grid by 2020. It explodes wind power from a mere 25 GW on the grid now, to a staggering 150 GW, a six-fold increase on the previous already ambitious plan.

Liquid fuels would get a boost. The plan would grow ethanol production from 2 million tons to 10 million tons, to expand biodiesel from 0.05 million tons to 2 million tons, biomass pellets for heating, from under a million tons to 50 million tons, and biogas and biomass gasification from 8 billion cubic meters to 44 billion cubic meters.

China is already the world leader in solar thermal hot water heaters for rooftops. The solar hot water goal is to have 300 million square meters of solar hot water collectors, up from 100 million in 2006.

Electric power would come from adding 100 GW to make 300 GW of hydro power, adding 125 GW to have 150 GW of wind power, adding 28 GW to have 30 GW of biopower, and going from a half Gigawatt to 20 GW of solar. Giant steps.

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2. Anne van der Bom says:
December 6, 2010 at 11:59 am

20 GW of solar by 2020 seems to be on the low side. Germany will have 20 GW of pv installed by the end of this year or early next year. The way the Chinese are advancing PV production (in volume and cost and technology), it seems almost unimaginable they will install only 20 GW in the next 10 years.