In 2018, China emitted 11.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, nearly double the next largest contributor.
One of the contributing factors is that China’s power grid has historically been heavily dependent on coal, one of the most carbon intensive ways to generate energy.
The way China generate energy is changing rapidly. There are projects are taking strides in the move from coal to low-impact renewables.
We’re talking energy from sun, wind and rivers. Across they country new energy farms generated a world record of 32.5 gigawatts (GW) of wind power last year, and a world record 18.3 GW of solar power.
We've supported this project through carbon offsetting. It's creating a photovoltaic power plant located in the Gansu Province of China.
The renewable energy generated by the project is fed into the Northwest Power Grid, replacing mainly fossil-fuel (thermal coal) generation and the associated carbon emissions and local pollution.
The project avoids over 125,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions annually; has reduced the carbon intensity of the region’s power generation, and has increased the diffusion of modern, clean power technology.
Our offsetting also supported the creation of a wind farm located in the North China Plain.
This wind energy project consists of 133 wind turbines with a capacity of 199.5 MW. The project uses wind resources to supply clean, renewable electricity to the North China Power Grid.
The electricity generated from this project displaces part of the electricity which is predominantly generated by coal-fired power plants. The project construction and ongoing maintenance creates job opportunities for local communities, helping to stimulate economic growth.
Notes
Targeting renewable electricity generation is part of the long-term strategy when it comes to helping stop global warming reaching 1.5˚C by 2050. By building a decarbonised economy, these projects help stop future emissions from being created. They work alongside removal projects that actively absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
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