China Doubles Down On Solar

[Jason]

China, now the world's largest carbon emitter, announced on May16 that it is beefing up its solar goals. China, second only to Germany in total solar electricity capacity, is planning to almost double its existing 2015 goal of 35 gigawatts capacity to a 2017 goal of 70 gigawatt capacity. China has become one of the world's largest energy importers, second only to the United States in oil imports, and as of 2012 has taken a commanding lead as the world's largest coal importer. More telling, China has gone from being a minor coal exporter to being the world's largest coal importer in less than a decade. These new demands are forcing China to rapidly mobilize its resources into renewable energy, and it's very likely that even if it meets the 2017 goals, China could have the dubious honor of leading the world in both clean energy and in pollution.

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[inetdog]

A few years ago I came across the statistic that the annual CO2 production from uncontrolled fires raging in large coal mines in China is greater then the entire transportation-related CO2 output for the US for the same time period.

[pleppik]

A few years ago I came across the statistic that the annual CO2 production from uncontrolled fires raging in large coal mines in China is greater then the entire transportation-related CO2 output for the US for the same time period.

Fascinating statistic.

I love factoids like this, so I spent a few minutes trying to chase this down with Google. It's easy to find that the transportation sector in the U.S. emits about 1,500 million tons of CO2 a year (source). Finding the emissions from Chinese coal mine fires was harder, though.

I found this page, which claims that the mine fires in China emit 360 million tons of CO2 per year, "as much as all the cars and light trucks in the U.S." but it isn't clear where those numbers are coming from.

I also found this article from 2013, which claims that 20 million tons of coal burn underground in China each year. That would be about 55 million tons of CO2 each year.

Either way, those coal mine fires are a real nightmare and there seems to be very little we can do about them in any practical sense. I'm very glad I don't live anywhere near one.

[Johann]

China is into renewable energy and using it for many years now, not only solar panels but also wind energy.
But, they are doing it for other reasons. Their acceleration into power needs exceeded the available power they had and infrastructure of electrical power and lines.
In other words they but factories in places where there was insufficient supply of power or no power at all.

China figured that it is cheaper and faster to put solar panels and wind generators up than to run electrical power for many miles, especially in the mountain region of china which was mostly impacted.

[Sunking]

The real China showed up yesterday with a $400 Billion contract to buy NG form Russia.

China is only 10% developed and will make the USA energy needs look like a popcorn fart in a hurricane. RE is not going to make even a small dent in the energy needs.

[Johann]

The real China showed up yesterday with a $400 Billion contract to buy NG form Russia.

China is only 10% developed and will make the USA energy needs look like a popcorn fart in a hurricane. RE is not going to make even a small dent in the energy needs.

Of course China is using more electricity than the US is.
China is popping one factory after the other factory in place and they do not worry about efficiency as long it is done fast to make and ship their product and to make profit.

China is a manufacturing nation, while the USA turned into a user and buying nation. A factory takes more energy than just jumping into the car and go to buy your item that is made overseas.

Chinas population is high and that will take a bit of power too, since the younger folks want their electronic and electrical item also, why sit in candle light while there are tons of light bulbs made in their own country.

China is supplying 1/2 the world with their products and that takes a lot of energy.

[russ]

China is popping one factory after the other factory in place and they do not worry about efficiency as long it is done fast to make and ship their product and to make profit.

That part is correct at least - there is no incentive in China for efficiency apparently - not for pollution control either.