Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
in 2012 China added 12,960 MW of installed capacity. he nation now
hosts over 26% of all global wind power generation capacity.
4
To illus-
trate just how aggressive China's energy policymakers have been in sup-
porting wind power development, China released a Mid-and-Long Term
Development Plan for Renewable Energy in 2006 that set a 2020 target
for installed wind power capacity of 30,000 MW.
5
As of December 2012,
75,324 MW of wind power capacity was already in place, surpassing the
2020 target by 151%. With technically exploitable wind power potential
estimated to be as high as 2,548,000 MW—2.5 times current national
electricity generation capacity—it appears that wind power holds great
promise in China.
6
In hydroelectric development, generation capacity in China tripled
between 2000 and 2010 (Figure 6.6). As of 2010, China possessed 21% of
global hydropower generation capacity. China's hydropower output now
surpasses the combined hydropower production in Brazil and Canada (the
nations with the second- and third-highest levels of hydropower output).
In terms of nuclear power, the nation's fourteen reactors currently pro-
vide less than 2.5% of the country's electricity. However, there are 25 reac-
tors under construction—the most in the world—and some nuclear power
analysts in China contend that there is a high probability that the govern-
ment will upgrade its targets to 60,000-70,000 MW for 2020.
7
By 2035,
China is projected to displace the United States as the nation with the
highest amount of installed nuclear power capacity,
8
and by 2050, the CPC
aims to reach 400,000 MWe of installed capacity (roughly 400 reactors).
9
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2011
Figure 6.6
. Hydropower Expansion in China
Source
: BP (2011).
