IV. Building a Clean and Diversified Energy Supply System

Proceeding from its basic national conditions and current stage of development, China gives priority to eco-environmental conservation and pursues green development. It seeks growth while protecting the environment, and believes that a sound eco-environment better facilitates growth. It focuses on supply-side structural reform in the energy sector – giving priority to non-fossil energy, promoting the clean and efficient development and utilization of fossil energy, improving the energy storage, transportation and peak-shaving system, and developing coordinated, complementary, and diverse energy sources in different regions.

1. Prioritizing Non-Fossil Energy

The development and utilization of non-fossil energy is a major element of transitioning to a low-carbon and eco-friendly energy system. China gives priority to non-fossil energy, and strives to substitute low-carbon for high-carbon energy and renewable for fossil energy.

Facilitating the use of solar energy. In line with the principles of driving technological progress, reducing costs, expanding the market and improving the system, China is promoting the use of solar energy in an all-round way. It makes overall planning of geographical layout of solar PV generation bases and market accommodation, with emphasis on both centralized and decentralized power generation. It has implemented a "leader board" incentive to encourage solar PV power generation, and allowed projects to be allocated through market competition, so as to accelerate progress in relevant technologies and reduce costs. As a result, China's solar PV industry has become internationally competitive. The country is improving grid access and other services for decentralized solar PV power generation, and coordinating the development of solar PV power, agriculture, animal husbandry, and desertification control to form a diversified model of solar PV power generation. China is also industrializing solar thermal power generation through demonstration projects, and providing market support for related industrial chains. It has expanded the market for and utilization of solar thermal energy, and introduced centralized hot water projects in industry, commerce and public services to pilot solar heating.

Developing wind power. On the basis of balancing wind power development with power transmission and accommodation, China is taking steps to exploit wind power and building large-scale wind power bases. Based on the principles of overall planning and coordination, and efficient utilization and development of centralized and decentralized wind power both onshore and offshore, it is taking active measures to develop decentralized wind energy in the middle and eastern parts of the country, and offshore wind farms. It gives priority to wind power projects that deliver electricity at affordable prices, and encourages project allocation through market-oriented competition. China also promotes wind power production through large-scale development and utilization of wind power, which helps to boost industry innovation and international competitiveness, and improve the industrial service system.

Developing green hydropower. China considers eco-environmental conservation to be a priority and pursues green development. While protecting the eco-environment and relocating the residents, China develops hydropower in a rational and orderly way, giving equal importance to development and conservation, and emphasizing on both the construction and consequent management of the facilities. Focusing on major rivers in the southwest, China is building large hydropower bases and controlling the construction of small and medium-sized hydropower stations in the basin areas. China seeks the green development of small hydropower stations, and has increased investment in river ecology restoration. It is also improving policies for relocated residents to share the benefits from hydropower projects, thus giving a boost to local economic and social development and helping the relocated population get out of poverty. As in any resource development program, the goals are always set for a better economy, better environment, and better benefits for the people.

Developing safe and structured nuclear power. Nuclear security is the lifeline in developing nuclear power. China attaches equal importance to safety and the orderly development of nuclear power. It has strengthened whole-life management and supervision of nuclear power planning, site selection, design, construction, operation, and decommissioning, and adopted the most advanced technologies and strictest standards for the nuclear power industry. China is improving the multilevel system of regulations and standards on nuclear energy and safety and strengthening relevant emergency plans, legal system, institutions and mechanisms, in its effort to establish a national emergency system that effectively responds to nuclear accidents. China has strengthened nuclear security and nuclear material control, rigorously fulfilling its international obligations towards nuclear security and non-proliferation, and keeping a good nuclear security record. So far, the nuclear power units in operation are generally safe, and there have been no incidents or accidents of level 2 or above on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

Developing biomass, geothermal and ocean energy in accordance with local conditions. China is adopting advanced technologies that meet environmental protection standards to generate power by means of urban solid waste incineration, and upgrading biomass power generation to cogeneration of heat and power. It is growing biogas into an industry and transforming methane use in rural areas. In industrializing liquid bio-fuel production by means of non-food biomass, it avoids using crops as raw materials and occupying arable land, strictly controls the expansion of fuel ethanol processing capacity, and focuses on improving the quality of biodiesel products. China is engaged in innovative geothermal power generation, providing urban central heating, and building demonstration zones for efficient production and utilization. It is also reinforcing R&D and pilot demonstrations on harnessing ocean power such as tidal and wave energy.

Increasing the overall utilization rate of renewable energy. China guarantees full acquisition of all renewable energy generated. It has implemented a clean energy accommodation action plan and is adopting various measures to promote the use of clean energy. It is improving the overall planning of the power sector, optimizing the power supply structure and layout, and allowing the market to function as a regulator, to form institutional mechanisms conducive to the use of renewable energy and make the power system more flexible and better at coordinating energy use.

China has put in place a mechanism for accommodating power generated from renewable energy, which determines on an annual basis the minimum proportion of renewable energy to be consumed in each province and equivalent administrative unit, and requires suppliers and users to work together to achieve this goal. The country uses the power grid as a platform for optimizing resource allocation. It facilitates optimal interaction and coordination of power source-grid-load-storage, and improves the appraisal and supervision of different sectors in accommodating power generated from renewable energy. Renewable energy use rate has increased significantly: In 2019 the national average consumption rate of wind power was 96 percent, that of solar PV power was 98 percent, and that of water energy in major river basins reached 96 percent.