By Paul Homewood
Despite economic slowdown, thermal power production (virtually all coal) continued to increase last year, rising by 2.5%, according to the provisional figures from the China Portal.
As in previous years, this exceeded the increase in wind/solar power:
https://chinaenergyportal.org/en/2020-electricity-other-energy-statistics-preliminary/
Thermal output continues to dominate the mix with 68%. The contribution from wind/solar remains tiny at 9%:
More significant for the long run is that thermal capacity rose again last year by 4.7%.While the rise in renewable capacity was greater, the latter’s intermittency will mean that actual generation will be less than thermal.
It seems inevitable that once economic growth resumes its pre-COVID rates, demand for power will rise back to previous levels of 5%. As wind, solar and nuclear are already maximised on the system, this extra can only come from thermal, which will start to rise much faster again.
Meanwhile, for good measure, coal and gas production rose by 0.9% and 9.8% last year:
Source
All data is from the China Portal:
https://chinaenergyportal.org/en/2020-electricity-other-energy-statistics-preliminary/
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
January 25, 2021 at 09:24AM