SURGE IN SOLAR AND HYDRO POINTS TO CHINA’S EARLY CARBON PEAK
A surge in solar power and hydropower in China in May led to a 4.3% decline in thermal power – mainly coal – that month.
Hydro-power generation rose 38.6% year-on-year in May 2024 and solar by 29.1%, the industry newspaper China Energy Net said.
According to Bloomberg China’s surge in solar and hydro points to early carbon peak, adding that China’s emissions may be falling years ahead of Beijing’s 2030 target. The drop in thermal power was the largest since 2022 and is likely to continue as long as China maintains current policy settings.
This supports a November 2023 Carbon Brief analysis finding that China’s rate of low-carbon energy expansion is now sufficient to not only meet, but exceed the average annual increase in China’s demand for electricity overall.
Source:
- Carbon Brief, June 27, 2024. https://www.carbonbrief.org/china-briefing-27-june-2024…
- Carbon Brief, Nov 13, 2023. https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-emissions…/
- Bloomberg, June 18, 2024. https://www.bloomberg.com/…/china-s-surge-in-solar-and…