Renewable Energy Prospects: China

As the largest energy consumer in the world, China must play a pivotal role in the global transition to a sustainable energy future in an increasingly carbon-constrained world. The country is already a global leader in renewable energy, with massive potential to harness a diverse range of renewable sources and technologies, both for power generation and for end-use sectors.

REmap 2030, the global roadmap prepared by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) – assesses how countries can work together to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. Under current policies and investment patterns, the share of renewables in China’s energy mix is projected to only reach 17% by 2030 compared to 13% in 2010. REmap analysis, however, shows that the country could realistically achieve scaling up modern renewables to 26%. The required investment of USD 145 billion per year could potentially save China more than USD 200 billion a year by 2030, factoring in the benefits of improved health and lower CO2 emissions.

Renewable Energy Prospects: China is the first in a series of country reports that IRENA has released to supplement the range of global and sector-specific reports released since early 2014 as part of REmap 2030.

Full report

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Executive Summary

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