China installed 217 gigawatts worth of solar power last year alone, a 55% increase, according to new government data.
That is more than 500 million solar panels and well above the total installed solar capacity of the U.S. They appeared everywhere from the deserts of Inner Mongolia to the mountains of southwest China to rooftops across the country, including on the Great Hall of the People on the edge of Tiananmen Square.
Wind energy installation additions were 76 gigawatts last year, more than the rest of the world combined. That amounted to more than 20,000 new turbines across the country, including the world's largest, planted on towers in the sea off China's east coast.
The low-carbon capacity additions, which also included hydropower and nuclear, were for the first time large enough that their power output could cover the entire annual increase in Chinese electricity demand, analysts say. The dynamic suggests that coalfired generation which accounts for 70% of overall emissions for the world's biggest polluter-is set to decline in the years to come, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency and Lauri Myllyvirta, the Helsinki-based lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
China's expanding renewables footprint is shaping the global response to climate change. Its companies are the leading manufacturers of clean-energy technology, from solar panels and wind turbines to electric vehicles. That is stoking concerns in the rest of the industrialized world about depending on China for their energy supplies in the future.
Esta historia es de la edición February 12, 2024 de Mint Mumbai.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición February 12, 2024 de Mint Mumbai.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
7 myths about ADHD and how to handle it
Some adults with ADHD are misdiagnosed as having anxiety or depression as myths prevail even in the medical community
Why women bear the brunt of misdiagnosis
Girls are half as likely as boys to be diagnosed correctly as having ADHD, show studies
At these international marathons, it's ready, steady, swig
Can running and drinking go together? From France to Scotland, here are five races where running is a merry party
Indian IT firms should brace for Trump's second term
Restrictive visa, trade and other policies under Trump 2.0 may force a review of their US-centric business models
Freebies don't offer a long-term solution but let us not ban them
Keeping citizens dependent on handouts is not fiscally sustainable. India needs a transparent framework to regulate them
Is Nvidia's chief dreaming of selling us R2-D2-like robots?
It may turn out to be a good bet if the chip-maker keeps its risks low
Two ways the EPFO can get itself an image boost
India's state-run retirement fund would do itself a favour by resolving its high level of claim rejections and speeding up interest payments. Its digital makeover should signal efficiency
Forex card vs debit card: How to lower cross-border markup fees
Unlike debit cards, forex cards are not linked to your bank account, limiting your exposure to fraud and theft
India must reassess its rejection of the RCEP trade bloc
Joining it can work in our favour as global trade barriers get reshaped and value chains are forged
Armed hostility between Israel and Iran is very likely to escalate
Israel senses a high-risk high-return chance to reshape West Asia that Trump might green-light