Wind and solar preferable and cheaper than coal for China

[kristopher]

Groundbreaking analysis shows China's renewable energy future within reach

Feb 19, 2014

Wind and solar preferable and cheaper than coal for China Credit: © WWF - Canon


By embracing conservation measures and renewable energy, China can transition to an 80 percent renewable electric power system by 2050 at far less cost than continuing to rely on coal, according to a new report from WWF-US.

As a result, China's carbon emissions from power generation could be 90 percent less than currently projected levels in 2050 without compromising the reliability of the electric grid or slowing economic growth.

The China's Future Generation report was prepared by the Energy Transition Research Institute (Entri) for WWF and uses robust computer modeling to simulate four scenarios based on today's proven technology: a Baseline, High Efficiency, High Renewables, and Low-Carbon Mix scenario. To develop its findings, Entri examines China's electricity supply and demand on an hour-by-hour basis through 2050 using its advanced China Grid Model.

"By fully embracing energy conservation, efficiency and renewables, China has the potential to demonstrate to the world that economic growth is possible while sharply reducing the emissions that drive unhealthy air pollution and climate change," said WWF's China Climate and Energy Program Director Lunyan Lu. "This research shows that with strong political will, China can prosper while eliminating coal from its power mix within the next 30 years."

In addition to ramping up development of renewable power sources, the world's most populous and energy-hungry nation will need ...

http://phys.org/news/2014-02-groundbreaking-analysis-china-renewable-energy.html

You can download copy of report with this link:
http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/chinas_future_generation_report_final__1_.pdf

[Warpy]

1. Let's hope they use all that filthy coal generated power

to build up an infrastructure of renewable energy.

Not going to happen, of course, but it's a nice dream.

What will happen is a second or third generation of thorium or molten salt power plants. They're working on those technologies, too.

Meanwhile, we keep using methane, propane and oil.

[kristopher]

2. I doubt nuclear has much future there.

They're installing 14GW of solar PV this year alone, and for the past three years they've been raising the forecasts for the renewable installs in the immediate future almost every 6 months.
They cut back on plans for nuclear and even though they are burning a shitton of coal, they have implemented a plan to cap carbon emissions.
You never know what tomorrow will bring, but in the past 6 years they've been doing more on the distributed energy front than anyone in the world.

Thorium and molten salt reactors offer no substantial advantages and much higher costs.