China advances renewable energy projects

DUBAI: China said that it would increase wind and solar power capacity to more than 1,200 gigawatts and increase non-fossil fuels to 25 per cent of the primary energy use, Arab News reported.

A practical move in anticipation of COP26, where world leaders will discuss policies to fight climate change, China has begun building major wind and photovoltaic (PV) bases in sandy, rocky and desert areas.

“As a developing country, China has done its best to make commitments and put them into practice, so as to achieve its environmental protection goals,” Shi Dinghuan, chairman of the World Green Design Organization and a former advisor to China’s State Council, told the Global Times on Sunday.

A Chinese solar power project with an installed capacity of 2 million kilowatts began work on October 16 in Kubuqi, a desert region in Inner Mongolia that enjoys more than 3180 hours of daily sunlight annually on average.

China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), announced in mid-October that construction on solar and wind power plants with a combined capacity of 30 million kilowatts has begun.

These stations are in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of North China, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of Northwest China, and the Qinghai Province of Northwest China.

Shi suggested that China’s combined installed capacity of new-energy power plants, which include hydro, wind and solar, would surpass all countries around the world, demonstrating that the largest developing country has been stepping up its efforts to pursue renewable energy and adjust its industrial and energy structures.

“China has established many ultra-high voltage transmission lines, which can achieve cross-regional power transmission more effectively,” Shi said, adding that the country could further speed up the construction of distributed power stations, reducing long-range power transportation losses.