Science and Technology Daily:

On the way to its carbon emissions peak and neutrality goals, China has seen its new energy sector including wind and solar power generation gain momentum. It has become an important part of the country's multi-energy supply system. What positive role has new energy played in safeguarding energy supply during winter? Thank you.

Zhang Jianhua:

Thank you for your question. In the past decade of the new era, under the scientific guidance of the new energy security strategy of "Four Reforms and One Cooperation" (namely, reforms in energy supply and consumption, market building and innovation, and comprehensive international cooperation) proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, China's new energy sector has made remarkable achievements. In 2022, the newly installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power reached more than 120 million kW, and their cumulative installed capacity are expected to exceed 700 million kW, driving the installed capacity of renewable energy to top 1.2 billion kW. The wind and photovoltaic power industry has become one of the most competitive ones in the country.

With an increasing installed capacity, wind and photovoltaic power have been playing a significant role in safeguarding energy supply. First, wind and photovoltaic power have taken a bigger share in China's total newly installed capacity. According to statistics, in 2022, the newly installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power accounted for 78% of the country's total newly installed capacity. Second, the country's newly added power generation capacity has been largely attributed to wind and photovoltaic power. In 2022, China's newly added wind and photovoltaic power generation capacity accounted for more than 55% of its total newly added. Third, the role of wind and photovoltaic power generation in ensuring supply is becoming more and more evident. According to power dispatching data from power grid companies, the average output of wind and photovoltaic power generation in most regions of the country accounted for about 15% of the average power load in 2022, or even 40% at its maximum. During the peak season in the summer of 2022, the average output coefficient of photovoltaic power reached 0.5 during the noon peak period in Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, and other provinces which have a larger installed capacity of photovoltaic power, providing strong support for the country's safe energy supply. Thank you.