China could shut down most if its coal generation by 2050 by producing more than 85% of its electricity and more than 60% of its energy from renewable sources, according to a “high renewable energy penetration scenario and roadmap” released Monday by the China National Renewable Energy Centre.
The study shows that “China has the ability to reach the peak of both its fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 2025,” Climate Central reports. “China in 2050 could get more than 85% of its total electricity from renewables, 64% of which could be from wind and solar power. Under that scenario, only 7% of its power would come from coal after having developed more than 200 gigawatts of electric power storage.”
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“For this target, we need to work together, especially the USA and China,” said Li Junfeng, director general of China’s National Centre for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation. Renewable Energy Centre Director Wang Zhongying added that the environmental and social costs of coal generation outweigh the cost of renewable energy development.
