Commentary by Xinhua writer Lu Youyi
BEIJING – China’s role as a major go-getter and helper in carbon reduction is increasingly prominent. A clear testament is its accelerated green transformation and key contribution to the world in terms of leading clean tech products.
Changes in power generation structure tell the biggest developing country’s progress in its efforts to cut emissions.
In 2023, all for the first time, China’s installed capacity of non-fossil energy power generation exceeded that of thermal power, accounted for more than half of the total installed capacity, hitting 53.9 percent, and the proportion of coal power installed capacity dropped below 40 percent, the China Electricity Council (CEC) said in a latest report.
The country’s combined installed capacity of grid-connected wind power and solar power will exceed that of coal power at the end of this year, accounting for about 40 percent of the total installed capacity, the CEC predicted.
China is determined to achieve the world’s highest reduction in carbon intensity in the shortest time in history, though this needs arduous efforts. It aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, and lower its carbon intensity by over 65 percent by 2030 from the 2005 level.
China always means what it says. Thanks to the resolve of the leadership and its cutting edge and capacity in clean tech, remarkable progress in China’s green growth has been achieved and will continue.
Fast growth in solar and wind power is part of its efforts to cut emissions. The total installed capacity of grid-connected wind power and solar power in China increased by 38.6 percent from 760 million kilowatts at the end of 2022 to 1.05 billion kilowatts at the end of 2023, accounting for 36.0 percent of the total installed capacity, up 6.4 percentage points year-on-year. The increase of the installed capacity of grid-connected solar power last year soared to 220 million kilowatts, or 130 million kilowatts more than the increase in 2022.
The country’s carbon emissions intensity in 2022 decreased more than 51 percent from its 2005 level, according to the 2023 report on China’s policies and actions to address climate change.
From 2012 to 2021, China’s average annual economic growth of 6.6 percent was supported by an average annual growth of 3 percent in energy consumption, while the energy consumption per 10,000 yuan (US$1,407) of GDP in 2021 was 26.4 percent lower than in 2012.
China leads the world in the manufacture of clean energy generation facilities for wind and photovoltaic power, producing more than 70 percent of the global total of polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules. The quality and efficiency of the energy-saving and environmental protection industries have continued to improve.
In 2023, China’s production and sales of new energy verhicles (NEVs) exceeded 9.58 million and 9.49 million units respectively, ranking first globally for nine consecutive years. Its NEV exports surged 77.6 percent year on year. The total export value of its new tech-intensive green trio, namely solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles, surged 29.9 percent.
As a major participant, contributor, and torchbearer in the global movement for building an eco-civilization, China will work with firm resolve towards the goals of carbon emissions peaking and carbon neutrality, while making new contributions to the building of a clean and beautiful world.
– Xinhua
