China sets new record on use of clean energy
Print Edition
China has set a new world record in the plateau province of Qinghai — 6 million people used only clean energy for nine consecutive days, a testament to the country’s commitment to clean energy and a low-carbon future.
The trial lasted from June 20 to midnight of June 28 in Qinghai, which borders Tibet Autonomous Region. During the 216 hours, the province ran solely on electricity generated from wind, solar and hydropower stations.
This is the second province-wide clean energy trial in Qinghai. In June last year, it relied solely on renewable energy for seven consecutive days, beating Portugal’s 107-hour clean energy efforts in May 2016.
According to China State Grid’s Qinghai branch, electricity consumption during the nine days totaled 1.76 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to 800,000 tons of coal use, cutting 1.44 million tons of carbon dioxide emission.
China is spearheading the global fight against climate change by enforcing strong environmental policies. According to China’s commitment at the Paris Agreement, it will cut carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60-65 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels.
Qinghai’s efforts represent a shift across the nation towards low-carbon energy use. During the nine-day period, hydropower stations supplied around 80 percent of power with the rest produced by solar and wind energy, said Qi Taiyuan, general manager of State Grid Qinghai Electric Company.
Around 3 percent of power was generated by coal-fired plants and transmitted to neighboring Gansu Province, Qi said. A minimum amount of coal-fired power plants were kept running because they were needed to stabilize grids in time of fluctuations and avoid damage to power infrastructure, he explained.
“During the nine days, we achieved zero emissions in power use in Qinghai,” said Xu Yourui, director of the company’s coordination center.
Located at the source of China’s three major rivers, the Yellow, Yangtze and Lancang, Qinghai has abundant hydro- and solar-power facilities.
“Environmental protection is critical in Qinghai because of the river sources. There is strong reason for China to cut emissions in Qinghai, promote clean energy and maximize the efficiency of clean energy facilities,” said Qi.
Global transition
China has taken monumental strides to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, upgrade its energy structure and improve air quality. Its enthusiasm for clean energy is pushing the global transition toward a low-carbon future.
The country plans to invest 2.5 trillion yuan (US$370 billion) in renewable energy by 2020, creating more than 13 million jobs, according to the National Energy Administration.
The country’s total installed renewable energy capacity reached 650 million kw in 2017, up 14 percent from 2016. Clean energy generated 1.7 trillion kw hours of electricity last year, accounting for 26.4 percent of the country’s total.
In Qinghai, more than 85 percent of the installed power capacity comes from non-fossil fuels. Stable power supply was extended to about half a million people over the last eight years. In fact, people living in remote high-altitude areas did not have access to electricity until three years ago.
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