BEIJING, November 20 - This year has witnessed remarkable progress in China's green and low-carbon energy transition. By the end of September, the combined installed capacity of wind and solar power in China soared to 1.25 billion kilowatts, exceeding the target set at the Climate Ambition Summit to reach over 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030, a full six years ahead of schedule. The continuous
From CE.CN
BEIJING, November 20 - This year has witnessed remarkable progress in China's green and low-carbon energy transition. By the end of September, the combined installed capacity of wind and solar power in China soared to 1.25 billion kilowatts, exceeding the target set at the Climate Ambition Summit to reach over 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030, a full six years ahead of schedule. The continuous expansion of renewable energy capacity and the advancements in the new energy system are providing robust support for the high-quality development of the Chinese economy.
Steady Advancement in Green Low-Carbon Energy Transition
"China's renewable energy installation scale has continuously achieved new breakthroughs," said Zhang Xing, Deputy Director-General of the Comprehensive Department of the National Energy Administration (NEA). In the first three quarters of 2024, the NEA has been coordinating energy security with low-carbon development, accelerating the planning of a new energy system, and steadily promoting the green and low-carbon energy transition.
Specifically, during this period, the national renewable energy generation capacity witnessed an additional 210 million kilowatts, marking a year-on-year increase of 21% and accounting for 86% of all newly installed power capacity. This includes 7.97 million kilowatts of hydropower, 39.12 million kilowatts of wind power, 161 million kilowatts of solar power, and 1.37 million kilowatts of biomass power. Consequently, by September 2024, the total installed capacity of renewable energy in China reached 1.73 billion kilowatts, a 25% increase from the previous year, representing approximately 54.7% of the country's total installed capacity.
The generation of renewable energy is also on an upward trajectory. In the third quarter alone, it reached approximately 2.51 trillion kWh, a year-on-year increase of 20.9% and accounting for roughly 35.5% of the total electricity production. Notably, the combined generation of wind and solar power amounted to around 1.349 trillion kWh, with a growth rate surpassing that of residential electricity consumption.
Investment in key projects within the renewable energy sector remains strong. According to Dong Wancheng from the NEA's Development Planning Department, investment in non-fossil fuel generation is steadily increasing, with several large-scale wind projects in progress across Gansu, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and Hebei provinces. Meanwhile, investments in emerging sectors are accelerating. In the first eight months of this year, new storage technologies saw a remarkable investment increase of over 20%, while pumped hydro storage investments surged by nearly 46% compared to last year.
Continuous Improvement in New Storage Utilization Methods
With the rapid growth of renewable energy, the demand for innovative storage solutions in the electrical grid system has also increased. The grid systems face challenges such as excess photovoltaic output threatening stability during peak usage times. However, companies like State Grid Huai Bei have successfully integrated these resources through collaborative control systems, ensuring the smooth operation of their networks.
By late September, the nationwide installations of new energy storage had achieved an impressive milestone, totaling approximately 58.5 million kW/128,000 MWh, representing an 86% jump since December 2023. These installations have become essential components in stabilizing the electric grids, further enhancing their reliability amidst the rising demands placed upon them, largely due to the improved utilization strategies implemented across various regions, including those managed by the Southern Power Grid where similar achievements were noted.
Through effective management practices, China can ensure a reliable energy supply even during extreme weather conditions. Earlier this summer, record-breaking temperatures pushed electricity loads beyond historical norms, prompting the nation to take proactive measures to optimize resource allocation and maximize efficiency, thereby strengthening the overall resilience against future fluctuations.
Looking ahead, the NEA plans to continue refining policies guiding the sustainable deployment of renewable energy, while also promoting diverse technological innovations. This is to support the ongoing efforts towards achieving the ambitious carbon neutrality targets previously outlined, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to foster an environment conducive to growth and innovation, necessary to meet the evolving needs of society today.
To facilitate the transition to a greener circular economy, greater emphasis must be placed on replacing traditional fossil fuels with cleaner alternatives. Recently, directives jointly issued by six governmental bodies have outlined strategic objectives aimed at significantly boosting the adoption rates in the coming decade, ultimately contributing to the broader global climate goals.
Enhancing Renewable Energy's Secure Replacement Capacity
The large-scale substitution of renewable energy poses challenges to the safe operation of power systems. To enhance equipment reliability and support stable operations, the China Electric Power Research Institute has recently launched a health status evaluation and reliability analysis platform for substation main equipment. This platform utilizes multidimensional operational monitoring data to conduct comprehensive diagnostics and analysis of equipment health and reliability.
"With the continuous increase in new energy installations and the accelerated construction of ultra-high voltage systems, the safety challenges for substation equipment are significant," said Yang Ning, Director of the Equipment Status Evaluation Center at the High Voltage Institute of China Electric Power Research Institute. Accurate assessment of equipment operating conditions is crucial for future management. The self-developed reliability analysis algorithm provides precise support for maintenance decisions, significantly improving maintenance quality and efficiency while effectively addressing the safety challenges posed by ultra-high voltage systems.
To enhance renewable energy's secure replacement capacity, guidelines propose accelerating resource assessment, power forecasting, and intelligent control capabilities for renewable energy. It advocates advancing technologies such as flexible DC transmission and AC/DC hybrid distribution networks, while also speeding up the construction of digitalized smart grids. Continuous optimization of distribution network structures and scheduling mechanisms will improve flexibility and load capacity. Additionally, it aims to diversify enhancements in system regulation capabilities by strengthening flexible power sources, pumped storage, and new energy storage applications.
Regarding measures to strengthen renewable energy substitution guarantees, Zhang Xing stated that the green energy consumption mechanism will be improved, with non-fossil fuels excluded from total consumption intensity controls. A responsibility weight mechanism for renewable electricity absorption will be established, along with rigid constraints on high-energy-consuming enterprises using green electricity. Furthermore, a robust green finance mechanism will be developed to support investments in renewable energy utilization and infrastructure development across various sectors