Roughly half of the coal consumed in China is burnt in the power sector, making it the largest single source of carbon emissions in the country. The sector has been growing rapidly, with wind and solar as big parts of this growth. China is now a global leader in renewable energy, accounting for more installed onshore wind and solar PV capacity than any other country in the world. But coal-fired capacity also continues to grow rapidly, posing a serious challenge to China’s effort to cut emissions.

The Overarching Goal:

To put the Chinese power sector on a clean, low-carbon trajectory, one that over the next 35 years aligns with a worldwide strategy to limit global warming to 2℃. To support this 2℃ vision, we strive to peak China’s power sector carbon emissions by 2025 and to acquire more than 80 percent of the country’s electricity from renewables by 2050.

Program Initiatives:

1. Improve power system planning and operation to accelerate investment in, and use of, low- and zero-carbon resources;
2. Assist the government in implementing power sector reform to establish market models and regulatory frameworks that are favorable to energy efficiency and renewable energy;
3. Break down institutional barriers, develop robust business models, and implement pilots and demonstrations to accelerate the development of distributed renewable energy and smart energy internet;
4. Improve renewable energy industrial policies and conduct long-term scenario analysis to promote adoption of a national energy transition strategy toward a high renewable energy penetration future; and
5. Promote coal consumption cap and reduce construction of coal power plants through analysis and communications to accelerate China’s pace to embark on a clean and low-carbon development trajectory.