Renewable energy: what China is doing on solar and wind power storage to secure supply amid weather challenges

Name: The surprising hurdle slowing China’s switch to green energy
Uploaded: 2023-01-29T07:00:14.000Z
Duration: 8 min 42 s
Description: The surprising hurdle slowing China’s switch to green energy

The need for new solutions to store renewable energy is increasingly important given challenges brought on by climate actions

China is fast-tracking its wind and solar capacity in the current five-year plan ending 2025, likely to hit its 2030 target ahead of time

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China is pushing for advanced power storage solutions as climate actions undermine efforts to ensure a consistent supply of renewable power. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Eric Ng

Published: 3:00pm, 29 Jan 2023

China’s solar and wind power generating capacities are the largest in the world, accounting for more than 35 per cent of the global total. As demand continues to grow to meet its climate goals, the need for storage facilities has also become critical to ensure a ready and consistent supply.

Lithium battery output, for example, surged 70 per cent last year to 957 gigawatt-hours (GWh), according to a report published by sustainable energy research house EVTank and China Yiwei Institute of Economics, more than enough to feed the domestic electric-car industry. About one-sixth of excess output ended up in storage systems.

China is fast-tracking its renewable-energy installation capacity in its five-year plan through 2025. Here’s what you need to know about energy storage in Asia’s biggest economy.

08:42

The surprising hurdle slowing China’s switch to green energy

Why does China need many more power storage facilities?

By 2060, surging production of weather-dependent solar and wind power will result in daily output fluctuation of up to 40 per cent of peak demand, according to Shu Yinbiao of Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of State Grid Corp and China Huaneng Group.

“Prolonged overcast, windless and frigid periods present major uncertainties for energy output,” he said. This dilemma mirrors the problem in the hydro, coal, natural gas and nuclear capacities combined, making it a tremendous risk to the stability of supply in China’s power system, Shu added.

06:45

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Seasonal variations are also substantial. China’s national wind capacity utilisation averaged 555 hours in the first quarter last year, while solar farms averaged 300 hours, according to China Electricity Council. This compares with 462 and 373 hours respectively in the third quarter.

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