New energy installed capacity in China reached 146 GW in 2015

Zhang Zhengling, a spokesman for China’s biggest power distributor State Grid Corporation of China, recently revealed in Beijing that, as a result of nearly one decade of development, the country has taken the leading position in the global new energy market, having the world’s largest wind power capacity and the world’s fastest-growing solar PV power generation sector.

The country recorded a combined on-grid wind power and solar PV power generation installed capacity of more than 100 GW for 2014, generating nearly 180 billion kWh of electricity during the year, equivalent to the annual consumption volume of electricity of a moderately developed Chinese province.

Mr. Zhang added that for the first 11 months of 2015, the country’s installed capacity connected to the grid of new energy supplied by State Grid had reached 146 GW, accounting for 12.4 percent of the country’s total installed capacity. The country generated 232 billion kWh of electricity using new energy resources during the time period, accounting for 5.6 percent of the country’s total power generation volume. State Grid is now the world’s largest power grid in terms of new energy access.

According to the data, the country recorded a year-over-year increase of 0.4 percent in electricity consumption provided by State Grid during the first 11 months of 2015, 2.6 percentage points lower than the same period of the previous year. For the period, the country’s total power installation capacity under State Grid increased 9.9 percent from a year earlier, 9.5 percentage points higher than the growth rate of power consumption demand.

According to Gong Wen Jun, deputy director of Xinjiang power exchange center of State Grid, Xinjiang, one of the fastest-growing provinces and regions in China’s new energy sector, has reached a total new energy power installation capacity of more than 60 GW, including 10.2 GW of wind power installed capacity and 5.03 GW of PV power generation capacity. According to sources, Xinjiang plans to add more than 26 GW in new power installation capacity during 2016, of which more than 14 GW will be provided from new energy sources.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/12/new-energy-installed-capacity-in-china-reached-146-gw-in-2015.html