China achieved a major milestone in renewable energy development with installations of wind and solar power generating units surpassing 1.2 billion kilowatt (kW), six years ahead of schedule, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA). As of the end of September, the installed capacity of renewable energy power generating reached 1.73 billion kW, a year-on-year increase of 25%, accounting for approximately 54.7% of the total installed capacity in China. This includes hydropower installations of 430 million kW, wind power installations of 480 million kW, solar power installations of 770 million kW, and biomass power installations of 46 million kW.
Electricity generated from renewable energy sources has been steadily increasing. In the first three quarters, power generated from renewable energy sources reached 2.51 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), a 20.9% year-on-year increase, representing about 35.5% of total electricity. Electricity generated from wind and solar installations combined reached 1.349 trillion kWh, a 26.3% increase year-on-year, nearly matching the electricity consumption of the tertiary sector (1.3953 trillion kWh) during the same period and surpassing electricity consumption of urban and rural residents (1.1721 trillion kWh).
The rapid development of renewable energies necessitated growth of energy storage facilities. The NEA said new types of energy storage systems, excluding pumped storage hydropower, have played a crucial role as “super power banks” for renewable energy, contributing significantly to ensuring power supply during peak hours. As of the end of September, China had 58.52 million kW of operational new types of energy storage facilities, an increase of approximately 86% compared with end-2023. In terms of regions, East China has seen rapid growth in new types of energy storage installations, with over 9 million kW added this year. From January to August, the total charge and discharge capacity of new types of energy storage systems in the country reached approximately 26 billion kWh.
Overall, as of the end of September, the total installed capacity of power generating units in the country reached 3.16 billion kW, a 14.1% year-on-year increase. The capacities of coal, oil and gas production have also steadily increased in the first three quarters, with crude oil and natural gas production growing by 2% and 6.6%, the China Daily reports.
