Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumChina's "Renewables Revolution" Doesn't Exist; Wind/Solar 5% Of Primary Energy Growth (i.e. Coal)
?w=705Last year China installed more new wind and solar capacity than any country in history. This is a fact, and it has led some to talk of China being a renewables powerhouse and of there being a renewables revolution. But out of context this fact can be much less impressive than it really is.
Let me put it into context using the most recent data from BPs Statistical Review of World Energy. Over the last decade Chinas primary energy consumption grew by 1398 million tonnes of equivalent (Mtoe). Though, if history is a guide this figure will eventually be revised upwards. The annual average increase then was 140 Mtoe. For a comparison, Britains annual primary energy consumption was 188 Mtoe last year.
EDIT
How does Chinas world leading wind and solar build out compare with this? In total, China got 42.4 Mtoe from wind and solar in 2014. In other words, the total production of energy from wind and solar energy is less than one third of a years of growth in primary energy consumption.
When you look at annual growth things are even clearer. Wind and solar grew by 6.97 Mtoe last year. This is a mere 5% of the average total growth in primary energy.
EDIT
https://carboncounter.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/there-is-no-renewables-revolution-in-china-here-are-the-numbers-that-show-this/
Nihil
(13,508 posts)kristopher
(29,798 posts)Using the averaged figure is a ham-handed ploy to mask trend lines - and the trend lines are the central feature of the claim being discussed.
Looking at what's actually happening to the rate of growth shows just how grossly disingenuous the OP is:
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/13/china-coal-consumption-co2-emissions-drop-2014/
See also this article from the Greenpeace China energy desk
http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2014/12/17/china-coal-peak-iea-missed/
There is a major effort ahead to get China and everyone else to where we need to be, but change is undeniably underway.
NickB79
(19,257 posts)However: http://www.democraticunderground.com/112782481#post3
data have been revised based on the results of the Third National Economic Census. The output of coal in 2013 has been revised from 3.68 billion tons to 3.97 billion tons.
In other words, coal production in 2013 was revised upwards by 7.9%, and by 0.29 billion tonnes. This revision is the equivalent of 1/3 of the annual coal production of America.
????
kristopher
(29,798 posts)Only you are trying to divert to alleged uncertainty about one year's number on a graph instead of the illegitimate use of an averaged number.
The trend line is pretty damned clear.