China had plans to use natural gas as a transition fuel away from coal. This will not be necessary

• Chinese wind and solar power have developed so much that the country no longer needs natural gas to abandon coal

• China hopes to meet its renewable energy target set for 2030 by the end of 2024.

China is the country that consumes the most coal in the world, and as a result emits the most carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is also the largest developer of renewable energy. Chinese wind and solar power have become so highly developed that the country no longer needs natural gas to move away from coal.

China and natural gas. China imports more liquefied natural gas than any other country in the world, but its share in the energy mix has been stuck at 3% since 2015. Wind and solar, on the other hand, have more than quadrupled over the same period to 16%. Meanwhile, coal’s share has fallen from 70 to 61%.

Although China is increasing its use of coal to cope with rising energy demand, renewable energy is contributing more than natural gas to reduce its share in power generation.

No transition fuel. Natural gas will therefore not be the fuel that helps China abandon coal, says a report by IEEFA. Renewable energy is taking that role ahead of schedule, and China does not need a transitional fuel.

It’s a question of prices. Chinese utility-scale renewables are significantly cheaper than imported LNG, which is why the Chinese government has encouraged their use, as well as oil and natural gas exploration within the country.

The change is today. Return to renewable energy: Last year, China added 301 gigawatts of capacity, representing 60% of the world’s total. Wind and solar power are expanding so rapidly in China that the country hopes to meet its 2030 renewable energy target of 1,200 gigawatts of power by the end of 2024.

China also aims to reduce its use of fossil fuels to less than 20% by 2060, the year it hopes to reach net zero emissions.

Some challenges. It’s not all about adding solar panels and wind turbines. Like the United States and Europe, China is concerned about its overproduction of renewable energy, particularly photovoltaics, the surplus of which is not used when the sun stops shining.

Rapid growth has led to a supply-demand imbalance, and China needs to improve its power grid and storage capacity to stabilize renewable energy supply without relying on coal or transitional fuels.

Image | Pxhere (CC0)

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