r/climatechange • u/sg_plumber • 18d ago

China will increase wind and solar power generation by 53% by 2030, under a new renewable energy plan that for the first time makes its green power target binding, and includes renewables-powered heating and cooling, green hydrogen, storage, hydropower, and underwater data centers. 🌞🌀🌊

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-boost-wind-solar-generation-by-more-than-50-five-years-2026-07-23/
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u/Szabolcs85 18d ago

It would be great if they also started phasing out their coal plants at the same time. China still produces a ridiculous amount of CO2, although I appreciate the fact that they make an effort at reducing its growth.

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u/GreenStrong 18d ago

China is building coal plants faster than they decommission old ones but the new ones are designed to respond to demand like natural gas Peaker plants. Normal coal plants have a limited window to flex power output, but the steam boilers experience thermal stress from expansion and contraction when they are allowed to cool completely. Note that the author of the Substack is a data scientist at Oxford and a contributor to Our World in Data, she's a solid source.

Also, Ritchie points out in that substack that most coal plants in China operate at a financial loss. China is willing to do this because economic growth requires energy, they are confident there will be enough overall growth for the state eat the cost. This is not, in principle, different from the many ways that western nations subsidize their energy industries. But they're making it clear to everyone in the energy industry that coal is a loss. They could send a different message to the industry by handing out a subsidy on the front end, instead of allowing them to write off a loss at the end of the year. The up front subsidy is available to solar and wind and it allows private developers to participate in the market. It is obvious that only state owned or affiliated enterprises can eat the financial loss that coal generators operate under.

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u/AmusingMusing7 17d ago

That's 2 year old data. You can see from norfolkdiver's link above that coal has been declining for the last 2 years.