Lauri Myllyvirta, senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute and lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). Clea

Analysis: China’s clean energy pushes coal to record-low 53% share of power in May 2024

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2024-07-11 12:00:03

Lauri Myllyvirta, senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute and lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Clean energy generated a record-high 44% of China’s electricity in May 2024, pushing coal’s share down to a record low of 53%, despite continued growth in demand.

The new analysis for Carbon Brief, based on official figures and other data that only became available last week, reveals the true scale of the drop in coal’s share of the mix.

The new findings show a continuation of recent trends, which helped send China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels and cement into reverse in March 2024.

If current rapid wind and solar deployment continues, then China’s CO2 output is likely to continue falling, making 2023 the peak year for the country’s emissions.

Every month, the NBS publishes data on China’s electricity generation by technology. The figures for May 2024 came out nearly a month ago, in mid-June, and were widely reported.