China is surging ahead in switching to renewables and away from coal in what its officials say will allow it to surpass its carbon emissions targets.
The country鈥檚 solar and wind energy capacity soared last year by 74 and 34 per cent respectively compared with 2014, according to figures issued by yesterday.
Meanwhile, its consumption of coal 鈥� the dirtiest of the fossil fuels 鈥� dropped by 3.7 per cent, with imports down by a substantial 30 per cent.
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The figures back up in Hong Kong by Xie Zhenhua, China鈥檚 lead negotiator at at the UN climate talks in Paris last December, that the country will 鈥渇ar surpass鈥� its 2020 target to reduce carbon emissions per unit of national wealth (GDP) by 40 to 45 per cent from 2005 levels.
Wind power record
Since China emits nearly a third of the world鈥檚 carbon dioxide, which is heating up the planet, this could make a major contribution to holding back temperature increases to the 2 掳C degree maximum global target agreed by governments last December in Paris.
鈥淭he latest figures confirm China鈥檚 record-breaking shift toward renewable power and away from coal,鈥� says Tim Buckley of the , an energy consultancy in Cleveland, Ohio.
鈥淐hina鈥檚 official 2015 wind installations are an all-time global record of 32.5 gigawatts,鈥� says Buckley. 鈥淐hina itself is the only nation to have come anywhere near this, delivering 20.7 gigawatts of new wind capacity in 2014.鈥�
Competing with fossil fuels
The latest figures state that 鈥渃lean energy鈥� 鈥� a combination of hydro, wind, solar, nuclear and natural gas 鈥� now accounts for 18 per cent of all its energy, up from 13 per cent in 2011.
鈥淲e鈥檙e now at the point where these technologies can compete head-to-head with gas and coal on price, meaning that this growth is only going to accelerate,鈥� says Maf Smith, deputy chief executive of RenewableUK, representing the UK鈥檚 wind and wave power producers. 鈥淭he UK alone has increased the amount it generates from wind power from 1 to 11 per cent in a decade.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really positive signal, a perfect example of an emerging economy trying to shift the way it develops,鈥� says Ranping Song of the World Resources Institute think tank in Washington DC.
Peak coal?
China is due to issue its next five-year economic plan this month. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 a perfect time to see how serious they are about tackling emissions,鈥� Song says.
Despite renewables gains, coal still provides almost two-thirds of China鈥檚 power consumption. But the dip in coal consumption over the past two years 鈥� which equals an entire year鈥檚 coal consumption in Japan 鈥� suggests that China may now have reached 鈥減eak coal鈥�. 鈥淐hina鈥檚 market for coal consumption has started to become saturated, and should gradually decline,鈥� Xie said in Hong Kong.
Read more: China鈥檚 climate comeback: How the top polluter is cleaning up
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