Nation makes great strides in clean energy

From the glittering solar panels carpeting the desert to the hydrogen production facilities humming in inland industrial bases and the giant wind turbines lining the coast, China's green transition is leaving its mark across the country.

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, the nation has resolutely implemented a series of institutional mechanisms to promote the transition to a low-carbon economy, paving the way for a green and sustainable future.

Experts believe the world's second-largest economy will continue to leave more green footprints across its vast territory as the country advances reforms to promote ecological civilization.

The confidence comes as China prepares to celebrate its second National Green Day, which falls on Thursday and is themed “Accelerating Green Transition in All Areas of Economic and Social Development.”

Ecological civilization is a concept promoted by President Xi Jinping for balanced and sustainable development that prioritizes harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

One of the ten principles of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is that green development is a profound revolution in the concept of development.

Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has attached great importance to the green and low-carbon transition.

In his speech at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection in July, Xi stressed that China should accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of its development patterns, uphold green and low-carbon development as the fundamental solution to ecological and environmental problems, accelerate the formation of green production modes and lifestyles, and lay a green foundation for high-quality development.

As part of this effort, an 18-megawatt semi-direct drive offshore wind turbine was successfully installed in early June at a coastal test base in Shantou, Guangdong province.

With a rotor diameter of 260 meters, it is the largest installed offshore wind turbine in the world, according to its developer, Dongfang Electric Corp. Its swept area is more than 53,000 square meters, equivalent to 7.4 football fields.

It can generate up to 72 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to meet the annual electricity demand of about 36,000 homes, while saving more than 22,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 59,000 tons.

The giant wind turbine is seen as a microcosm of China's success in positioning itself as a global leader in renewable energy in just four decades.

Data from the National Energy Administration shows that China contributed more than 50% of the world's 510 gigawatts of newly installed renewable energy capacity in 2023. The country also occupies a dominant position in the production of photovoltaic components, wind turbines and batteries.

China's installed capacity of renewable energy has reached 1.32 billion kW by the end of June 2023, surpassing that of coal-fired electricity, the administration said.

Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, said China has achieved such significant progress thanks to a series of forward-looking policies on renewable energy development, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization.

“These forward-looking policies have attracted a large volume of investment into the renewable energy sector, and subsequently triggered intense market competition and rapid innovation,” Ma said.

For example, China introduced a subsidized price for renewable energy, or feed-in tariff, in 2006. This tariff, a surcharge on electricity bills, guaranteed solar and wind companies above-market prices for their energy.

After six adjustments to wind subsidies and eight to solar photovoltaic subsidies, grid electricity rates for these two types of renewable energy are now equal to those for electricity produced from coal.

An even greener future

With the implementation of new mechanisms and continued reforms aimed at promoting ecological civilization, the country will embrace an even greener future, experts said.

Wang Jinnan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, highlighted the potential role of a recently implemented area-specific environmental management mechanism in ensuring low-carbon development.

In March, the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council jointly issued guidelines on a more area-specific approach to environmental management.

By 2025, the area-specific environmental management system should be basically established, and the system will be fully-fledged and operating effectively by 2035, according to the guidelines.

Wang, also former president of the China Academy of Environmental Planning, pointed out that the country's previous functional zoning strategy had established a comprehensive pattern of development and protection in different regions.

By targeting much smaller areas, the area-specific environmental management mechanism is expected to better support the country's green and low-carbon transition, he said.

Under this mechanism, more than 40,000 ecological and environmental management networks have been established throughout the country. Each of these networks has a suitable and specific blacklist for the introduction of projects, he said.

Ma, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, said that with these networks and their blacklists, China has put into practice what is only at the conceptual level in many other countries.

Further reforms regarding the green transition are underway, as shown in the resolution adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in July.

The resolution stressed the importance of focusing on building a beautiful China and promoting harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature as a key aspect of the overall goal of deepening reform, said Sun Jinlong, Party chief of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

China's economic and social development has entered a high-quality development stage featuring an even greener and low-carbon trend, but balancing high-quality development and high-standard protection remains an arduous task, he said.

“Deepening the reform of ecological civilization and resolutely eliminating institutional mechanisms that hinder high-standard protection and high-quality development will facilitate the green and low-carbon transition of development models,” Sun said, adding that this will “cultivate green productivity with high-standard protection and support high-quality development.”

Xinhua contributed to this article.

[email protected]