China's New Renewable Energy Power Generation Equipment In A Year Is Equivalent To 120 Nuclear Power

Japan’s "Mainichi Shimbun" reported on February 20 that China is accelerating the development of renewable energy. The total installed capacity of new wind turbines in 2020 will be 2.7 times that of 2019, and solar power will increase by 80%. In just one year, China's new renewable energy power generation equipment is equivalent to 120 nuclear power plants. In contrast, the increase in installed capacity of nuclear power plants dropped by 70% year-on-year. China is getting rid of its dependence on nuclear power and reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible. Japanese media asked, what kind of action will Japan, which intends to revise the basic energy plan, take?

According to statistics from the China Electricity Council, the proportion of thermal power generation in China fell below 50% for the first time last year, and wind power generation reached a record high. Both wind and solar power generation are showing a rapid growth trend. The China Electricity Council is satisfied with this report card.

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. At the United Nations General Assembly in September last year, China solemnly announced that it would strive to reach the peak of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. At another United Nations meeting in December last year, China also stated that it would increase the installed capacity of solar and wind power to 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030.

This figure can be compared with the total installed capacity of coal   fired power generation at present. As of the end of 2019, China's total wind and solar power generation capacity was 410 million kilowatts. To achieve the above goals, China must ensure that the annual average new renewable energy capacity is more than 70 million kilowatts. Although people generally believe that this is no easy task, the total installed capacity of China last year was as high as 120 million kilowatts, far exceeding this. digital.

The report commented that the reason behind this is not only the strong call of the country, but also that Chinese solar power panel manufacturers have obvious advantages in the world, and fierce competition among manufacturers has reduced the cost of power generation. For example, the cost of generating electricity from the latest solar energy equipment is already comparable to that of coal-fired power generation. With the enhancement of cost competitiveness, the fixed price acquisition system (FIT), a system introduced to popularize renewable energy, may come to an end.

China currently has 17 nuclear power generating units under construction. At the end of January this year, China’s independently developed "Hualong No. 1" has been put into commercial operation, but due to safety considerations, the inland construction plan is now at a standstill.

Japanese media believe that China's power industry is discussing how to promote low-carbon without being overly dependent on nuclear power. The “State Grid Energy Research Institute”, a think-tank institution of the Chinese power supply giant “State Grid”, recently released the “China Energy and Power Development Outlook” that coal-fired power generation, which currently accounts for 49% of installed capacity, will drop to 2060. 8%, while solar power generation will rise from 11% to 37%, and wind power generation will also rise from 13% to about 30%. In contrast, the increase in nuclear power generation is small, only increasing from 2% to 4%. From the perspective of power generation, the power generation of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydropower, and biomass will account for about 80% of the total power generation by then, while nuclear power generation will account for only 10%.

However, most of China's wind and solar energy are concentrated in the northwest and northeast regions. Although these places are suitable for power generation in terms of meteorological conditions and land costs, the local power demand is relatively small. Because there are not enough power transmission facilities to send electricity to coastal areas and other areas with high power demand, these places have also reduced their power generation, causing problems of "abandonment of wind" and "abandonment of light".

According to the report, in order to make up for the vulnerability of renewable energy power generation that is easily affected by the weather, in reality, people will also ensure electricity supply through water pumping and thermal power generation. To further promote renewable energy power generation and decarbonization, in addition to large-scale improvement of the transmission grid, the storage capacity of batteries must also be improved. In recent years, Chinese battery manufacturers have developed rapidly, and they have also been in a leading position in the world in terms of technology. In its mid- to long-term development plan to 2035, the Chinese government has stated its support for "green technology" innovation. They hope to overcome difficulties and firmly follow the path of renewable energy.