China Coal Use Continues To Fall “Precipitously”

May 15th, 2015 by Joshua S Hill

New figures show that China’s use of coal has continued to fall dramatically over the first four months of 2015, according to Greenpeace Energydesk.

In fact, following news in October of 2014 that showed coal use had fallen for the first time this century, these most recent figures suggest that the decline in China’s coal use is actually accelerating.

According to Energydesk, coal consumption in China fell by almost 8%, and CO2 emissions dropped by approximately 5% over the first four months of 2015, when compared to the first four months of 2014. Impressively, for China, their figures are roughly the same as the reductions seen in the UK — whereas the reduction in coal use is equal to four times UK total consumption, a strong reminder of the need for China to increase energy efficiency.

Greenpeace Energydesk reported the figures from the country’s National Energy Administration in October of 2014, revealing that China’s coal use dropped by 1.28% in 2014.

However, in March of this year, new data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China indicates that coal consumption dropped by 2.9%.

As can be seen below, non-coal power generation growth in 2014 has been primarily the result of improved hydropower conditions and hydropower capacity growth. Nevertheless, renewable energy solutions such as wind, solar, and biomass are also contributing to the overall growth of non-coal power.

These non-coal power generation options are only going to continue, as well, as can be seen by taking a quick stroll back through the CleanTechnica China archives. Numerous companies are making moves into the country’s solar and wind industry, boosting China’s overall value as a renewable energy investment destination.

Image Credit: Energydesk









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