British media: During the heat wave, China's record hydropower and solar power generation meet soaring demand
2024-08-22
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Reuters reported on August 20, original title: China's record hydropower and solar power cut coal-fired power generation during heat waveChina's daily electricity consumption hit a record high in July as a heat wave swept across major power-consuming regions, driving a sharp increase in air conditioning and refrigeration use. However, China's record hydropower and solar power generation not only met unprecedented electricity demand, but also ensured that thermal power generation fell slightly compared with the same period last year, highlighting the rapid (green) transformation of China's power system.
In July, China's industrial power generation increased to a record 883.1 billion kWh, up 2.5% year-on-year, significantly higher than the 846.2 billion kWh in the same period last year and 805.92 billion kWh in the same period the year before. Much of the growth came from eastern China, especially the Yangtze River Delta, which was hit by unusually hot weather and is China's highest electricity consumption region.
Many places in the Yangtze River Delta called for saving electricity. But overall, China's power grid can still meet record electricity demand because hydropower and solar power generation in other regions have achieved substantial growth. In July, industrial hydropower above designated size in China increased by 36.2%, industrial solar power above designated size increased by 16.4%, and industrial wind power above designated size increased by 0.9%, but industrial thermal power above designated size decreased by 4.9% year-on-year.
Unprecedented hydropower is being pumped from the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River to the Yangtze River Delta. In July, China's hydroelectric power generation soared to a record 166 billion kWh, up from 121 billion kWh in the same period last year. Abundant monsoon rains have enabled power stations to make full use of a series of dams in the Yangtze River Basin. These dams and seasonal reservoirs, which are also used for flood control, are still full, which may enable China to maintain record hydropower generation in August and September this year.
China's record solar output also improved power reliability during the peak summer electricity demand period. In July, China's solar power generation soared to a record 36 billion kWh, significantly higher than the 26 billion kWh and 21 billion kWh in the same period of 2023 and 2022. In 2022, China's solar photovoltaic installed capacity was roughly equivalent to the total of the rest of the world, and in 2023, the new solar installed capacity doubled again.
Additional generation from hydropower and solar during the summer peak has reduced China's grid's reliance on fossil fuels. Thermal power accounted for 65% of China's total electricity generation in July, down from 71% last year and 73% a decade ago.
Most of China's best-placed downstream dams have already been developed, limiting the potential for further increases in hydroelectricity. The government plans to further deploy solar and wind installations to boost renewable energy generation. Nuclear power still accounts for a relatively small portion of China's grid, accounting for only nearly 5% of China's cumulative electricity generation by the end of 2023, but a large reactor construction plan has been approved that will significantly boost China's nuclear power industry by the end of this decade. (Author John Kemp, translated by Ding Ding)
