Nation prioritizes improving energy mix

An offshore wind power plant is seen near Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in November. [Photo by Zhou Guoqiang/For China Daily]

Huge potential

In addition to the development of rich renewable energy resources in western China, such as wind and solar, potential for the development of these clean energies remains huge in regions that are major energy consumers in central and eastern China, he said.

He said another key task for the country is to transform its power supply system, which was designed for concentrated power generation, transmission and supply based on fossil energy.

The construction of a distributed energy network, for example, will become necessary as the country forges ahead in building a power supply system dominated by renewable energies and such a network needs supports from an enhanced electricity storage system because of the instability of renewable energies, he added.

Distributed energy is the utilization of smaller power generation and storage systems to meet demand near the point of use instead of centralized generation sources from power plants.

As major types of renewable energies, wind, solar and hydro power all share a common disadvantage. Because of the changeable natural conditions, their output is often unstable. In peaks, their output is often beyond what can be consumed in areas that have access to them, resulting in waste. A viable solution to address the disadvantages is to store the energy so it can be used when there is low output.

"China's economic growth has yet to decouple from the consumption of fossil fuels, which is still a rising trend in the country," said Wang Yi, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institutes of Science and Development.

Under China's new climate goals, this makes it a must for the country to phase out coal consumption in an orderly manner and replace it by establishing an energy system that can absorb a high proportion of renewable energy. The construction of such a system needs comprehensive and systematic preparations, which requires arduous efforts from the government, he said.