China Drives Renewable Energy Investment... "Carbon Emissions Expected to Peak This Year"

Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

As China accelerates its investment in the renewable energy sector, there are projections that it will reduce carbon emissions faster than expected.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 10th (local time), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Finnish NGO Energy and Clean Air Research Centre forecast that with large-scale investments in renewable energy, China's carbon emissions could peak as early as this year.

According to Chinese government statistics, China installed 217 GW (gigawatts) of solar power facilities last year. This equates to over 500 million solar panels, representing a 55% increase compared to previous figures.

Additionally, the Chinese government installed more than 20,000 wind turbines nationwide last year, adding 76 GW of wind energy capacity.

Including new hydro and nuclear power generation, last year China achieved, for the first time, a non-fossil fuel power generation capacity sufficient to meet the annual increase in electricity demand.

Accordingly, the IEA and others expect China's fossil fuel power generation to decline over the next few years. Experts analyze that if China brings forward this carbon emission 'peak period' and begins reducing emissions over the next decade, it could reduce global temperature rise by 0.3 to 0.4 degrees Celsius.