Wind, solar power surge in China

China may beat its 2030 development target for solar and wind energy five years ahead of schedule, a report from a San Francisco-based independent nonprofit organization said, as the country celebrates National Low-carbon Day on Wednesday.

Prospective solar and wind energy projects that have already been announced or which are in the preconstruction and construction phases total approximately 379 gigawatts and 371 GW, respectively, according to the report by Global Energy Monitor, which was published late last month.

If the projects, nearly all of which are included in the 2021-25 five-year plans for different regions, are built and commissioned, China will roughly double its current installed operating capacities for solar and wind energy, the report said, adding this will help the country achieve its 2030 target for both kinds of renewable energy by 2025. 

During an address to the Climate Ambition Summit in December 2020, President Xi Jinping announced China’s intention to boost its installed capacity of wind and solar power to more than 1,200 GW by 2030.

Dorothy Mei, project manager at Global Energy Monitor, was quoted as saying in a media release that the new data provides "unrivaled granularity about China’s jaw-dropping surge in solar and wind capacity".

"As we closely monitor the implementation of prospective projects, this detailed information becomes indispensable in navigating China’s energy landscape," she added.