China is one of the most polluting countries in the world, yet it is making huge strides in renewable energy. The renewable energies grew by 50% in 2016 and China leads the position of the countries with the most renewable energies.
Photovoltaic solar energy is the one that has grown the most in all this time, since it has experienced greater growth than any other fuel, even surpassing the use of coal. Will renewables continue to expand in China?
Global expansion of renewables
According to the latest report on renewables released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewables accounted for almost two-thirds of the world's energy capacity. In figures, they almost reach 165 gigawatts of power.
Every year there are more renewable sources that exist around the globe. By 2022, electrical power capacity is anticipated to will increase by 43%. This percentage is equivalent to an increase of about 1.000 gigawatts. This amount of energy is equivalent to half the energy that coal has as a capacity and that took 80 years to develop.
China and India as leaders
The renewable forecast is 12% higher than last year in terms of renewable energy. This increased percentage is mainly due to India and China, as they are the countries that have opted the most for renewable energies.
On the other hand, these two countries and the United States will account for two thirds of the expansion of renewables globally before 2022. Although the United States and India also have high renewable energy capacity, China is the undisputed leader without a doubt since it has a capacity greater than 360 gigawatts.
In the case of India, the report states that renewable capacity will double the current capacity.
That growth is enough to outpace the expansion of renewables in the European Union (EU) for the first time and shows that solar PV and wind together account for 90% of growth.