China Added 44.3 GW of Solar and 20.59 GW of Wind Capacity in 2018

Total capacity, including hydro and biomass as well as solar energy and wind power, rose to 728 GW by end-2018, the NEA said during a briefing.

According to official numbers, China’s renewable energy capacity increased by 12 percent in 2018 year-on-year compared to 2017. The leading country in the world for both solar and wind installations saw its total renewable capacity rise to 728 GW by the end of 2018.

According to the data issued by the National Energy Administration (NEA), China connected around 20.59 GW of new wind power capacity to its grid in 2018. New solar energy capacity reached 44.3 GW, slightly higher than a figure given by an industry association earlier this month, but still down compared to 2017 following the mid-2018 decision to slash subsidies.

The country also added 8.54 GW of hydropower capacity, mostly in the nation’s southwest, bringing total hydropower to 352 GW by the year’s end.

Total capacity, including hydro and biomass as well as solar energy and wind power, rose to 728 GW by end-2018, the NEA said during a briefing. Taking the cumulative renewable capacity in the country’s energy mix up to 38.3 percent, up 1.7 percent over 2017 and around 7 percent higher than at the end of 2015.

China’s “energy revolution” has also involved the installation of new emissions control technology at its coal-fired power plants, still the dominant form of energy in China. Around 810 GW or 80 percent of the country’s coal-fired capacity was employing “ultra-low emission” technology by the end of 2018, according to the Chinese Environment Minister Li Ganjie.

But despite China’s efforts to cut coal consumption and promote renewable energy domestically, it has been criticised for backing new coal-fired projects overseas that use obsolete equipment no longer permitted at home.