Better planning can boost new energy sector

China has made notable progress in the use of renewable energy. By the end of last year, China had installed 149 gigawatts of wind-power and 77 gigawatts of photovoltaic power. The corresponding figures for 2011 were just 46 gigawatts and 2 gigawatts.

In comparison, Germany, a leading producer of renewable energy, appears to lag behind both in the number of installations and total power production.

The wind-power installations connected to regular power grids in China accounted for about 4 percent of last year's total electricity output, nearly 1.1 percent of which was from the photovoltaic power plants.