China begins to lead way in renewable energy

State Grid employees check solar power panels in the Tibet autonomous region. [Photo by SONG WEIXING/FOR CHINA DAILY]

China has achieved leapfrog development in renewable energy, with its installed capacity of renewable energy ranking top in the world, People's Daily overseas edition reported.

Renewable energy is a kind of clean energy that is collected from natural renewable resources such as wind, sunlight, water, biomass and geothermal resources.

According to the National Energy Administration, China's total installed capacity for renewable energy generation rose to 1.1 billion kilowatts in a decade, with generation capacity of hydropower, wind, solar and biomass ranking top in the world.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, China's renewable energy generation capacity is expected to account for more than 50 percent of the total and the generation capacity for wind and solar power is to be doubled, the administration said.

Lead the way in hydropower

As the first hydropower station with a total installed capacity of more than 1 million kilowatts in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, the Suwalong hydropower station on the upper section of the Jinsha River saw its first two generating units start operation on July 19 and Aug 25 respectively.

The main factors behind the success are abundant experience and advanced technology associated with hydropower projects, which also are witnesses to China's growth from catching up to leading the world in the sector.

So far, a total of 6 hydropower stations namely Gezhouba, Three Gorges, Wudongde, Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba and Baihetan have been built on the Jinsha River, the upper section of the Yangtze River, among which, five have entered the top 12 largest hydropower stations in the world.

In recent years, China's hydropower projects have had a positive effect on improving people's livelihoods and environmental protection, said Michael F. Rogers, president of the International Commission on Large Dams. In the future, the country is expected to lead the world in hydropower innovation, he added.

Further tapping into offshore wind power

Currently, wind power is one form of the green energy with the quickest development. Compared with onshore wind power, offshore wind power is less restrained by factors such as land occupancy and noise pollution. Developing offshore wind power has become a blue engine to drive green and low-carbon development in China's eastern coastal regions.

China commissioned 16.9 million kW of offshore wind power capacity last year, which accounted for over 80 percent of the world's total and pushed China's total installed capacity to 26.93 million kW, according to a report by the China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute

The surge in installed capacity of offshore wind power has attracted a total of 320 billion yuan of investment in the same year, according to the report.

Chinese authorities earlier released a plan for developing a modern energy system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, which stresses promoting wind power orderly in places with rich wind resources and good development conditions.

Outdoor experiments of PV performance

Photovoltaics, or PV for short, is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect.

In recent years, China has made huge developments in PV technology, as well as lab research of some key components. However, systemic research of equipment operations outdoors is still insufficient.

The real effect of PV products should be decided in practical uses rather than lab results, Pang Xiulan, deputy general manager at State Power Investment Corp's PV innovation center, told the newspaper, adding that outdoor experiments can tell people the real operation of PV products.

China's first PV and Energy Storage Demonstration Experiment Platform was established in Daqing, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Nov 19, 2021.

The successful installation is a significant step in the development of China's grid-connected PV system, as it offers a good data base and scientific grounds for developing industrial policies and technology standards, said Yang Deren, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

----The news is quoted from China Daily (www.chinadaily.com.cn)

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