Renewables Generate a Quarter of China's Energy, But Solar and Wind Lag

(Beijing) – Renewable energy accounted for nearly a quarter of China's power generation last year, even as wind and solar farms with 39 billion kilowatt-hours of generation wasted due to poor planning in the rush to meet Beijing's ambitious green energy targets, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said.

Hydropower was the biggest contributor among major renewable energy sources, accounting for about one-fifth of China's electricity in 2015. Another 3.3 percent of the nation's power came from wind farms, 0.7 percent from solar farms, and 0.9 percent from biomass power plants, according to a report released by the energy department on August 23.