China Tops in Renewable Energy Production: BP Statistical Review of World Energy

China has continued to dominate renewable energy growth, contributing about 40 per cent of global growth, more than the entire OECD and surpassed the US as the largest producer of renewable power last year.

According to the latest BP Statistical Review of World Energy released, China surpassed the United States as the top producer of renewable energy in 2016. Renewable power, excluding hydro power, in the world grew by 14.1 per cent in 2016; the biggest increment on record, Xinhua news agency cited the report as saying.

Although the share of renewable power within primary energy was just 4 per cent, its strong growth meant it accounted for one-third of the increase in primary energy, the report indicated.

China continued to dominate renewable energy growth, contributing about 40 per cent of global growth — more than the entire OECD — and surpassed the US as the largest producer of renewable power last year, said BP chief economist Spencer Dale.

China also provided the main source of world growth for both hydro and nuclear power.

Global hydro power rose 2.8 per cent in 2016 from a year ago, with more than 40 per cent of growth from China. In the meantime, global nuclear power went up by 1.3 per cent or 9.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent, with China contributing almost all the growth. Carbon emissions were essentially flat over the past three years, Dale said, with China again the key player.

The BP data showed carbon emissions in the world rose slightly by 0.1 per cent in 2016, while in China, the emissions fell 0.7 per cent from a year ago.

“China’s carbon emissions are estimated to have actually fallen over the past two years, after growing by more than 75 per cent in the previous 10 years, and some of the improvements reflect structural factors that are likely to persist,” Dale said.

IANS