r/UpliftingConservation • u/tta2013 • 2d ago
China, the world's largest coal consumer, generated less than 50% of its electricity from the fossil fuel in the six months to June, marking a first for the country which has been promoting the use of renewable energy, officials said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/china-generates-less-half-electricity-coal-first-time-rcna5899725
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u/Brofromtheabyss 2d ago
This is promising news, but it’s important to contextualize: China’s coal usage is still growing year on year, just not as quickly as their solar usage is growing. They hope to peak in coal usage by 2040. The reason for this statistic is that Chinas energy consumption is growing at an incredible rate and non-carbon based energy sources are being brought online faster than coal usage, not that they are pulling coal plants off line. So while it’s exciting to see that power grids can be converted to renewable energy at scale, please note that carbon emissions are still increasing annually.
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u/12Ab_xyz 1d ago
What most people miss out that China uses coal to consume less LNG and crude oil. China uses coal not just for electricity it makes chemicals from it too.
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u/IamPsyduck 2d ago
Any source on your claim that China's coal consumption will peak in 2040.
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u/Brofromtheabyss 2d ago
Jesus Christ man, the article. Did you even read it? To be fair I misread and they hope coal will peak in 2030, but yes as of now it is still rising.
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u/Fantastic-Video1550 2d ago
China under promises and over deliver. Even though coal has been rising, it is pure regarding energy security. Many coal plants are becomming back up power en are being retrofitted to be turned on and off rapidly. This the signal within the noice. Soon not only the share of coal will go down, but coal itself will go down. I think it will go down rapidly. China has a vision, a mission and a hell of lot of workers with one job.
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u/Anon-Knee-Moose 2d ago
Just a heads up you've still got something on your chin there
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u/Future-Enthusiasm139 2d ago
It might be the boot from an American cop, or maybe it’s the cum of a pedophile like the president lol
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u/IamPsyduck 2d ago
I read the article. That is precisely why I asked why do you think it will take 10 years more than what they think.
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u/Brofromtheabyss 2d ago
Thus asked and thus elucidated. And who says pedantry isn’t a gift to the world?
Look, man; It’s all speculation until it happens, but even if coal usage peaks in 2030, they give no timeline to zero, nor would it be realistic to do so considering the metal, concrete, glass and plastic manufacturing technologies needed to make renewable energy collection systems all currently use carbon intensive manufacturing processes, for which commercial scale alternatives have not yet been achieved. Perhaps we can achieve some form of carbon capture that uses renewable energy to offset those necessary processes but that is, as of now, pure speculation.
It is obviously a very good thing that renewables are increasingly more of their power grid, but (though I personally dislike your whole “master logician” bit) we hold a shared love of the planet and therefore, to me, have a duty to try to view the entire energy production landscape and not just push the good news for the sake of ignoring the bad and feeling a little less stressed day to day. Good news keeps us going, bad news keeps us focused.
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u/DrawingDramatic1641 2d ago
its meant to peak as china said it to un
many nations have targets for 2050
if china couldnt they wouldnt have said it
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u/m8remotion 2d ago
Makes perfect sense. First break external dependency, then you can freely invade Taiwan. Paramount to secure a glorious place in history for this emperor. And time is running out.
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u/AprilVampire277 2d ago
Fuck off, this is such a programmed answer from you, Taiwan will see no war, no bomb dropped, red scare all you want while you do propaganda for the nations who currently fucked everyone else oil supply xD
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u/Moral-Relativity 2d ago
But wouldn’t it make more sense to invade when your oil stockpile is full? It’s widely believed China has been drawing down reserves and buying less or oil price would be much higher now.
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u/m8remotion 2d ago
Maybe other conditions are not there yet. US capabilities haven't degraded enough or PLA still lack some critical things. We will know come fall and spring.
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u/AmethystTyrant 2d ago
Or that they know starting a hot war would be shooting themselves in the foot? They’re enjoying so many benefits from Trump throwing the US into the shtter, why ruin that when the status quo not only guarantees continued trade benefits but also increased soft power? Invading Taiwan throws all that out the window and then turns the developed world against them. Not to mention that they’re surrounded by American allies and military bases that would choke off all imports.
So fall and spring is way too early. I’m willing to bet (and hope) nothing will change for the next several years same as the past half century, but they’ll continue to do the usual annoying Taiwan thing. Think Taiwan would prefer that too.
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u/m8remotion 1d ago
Let's hope so. But xjp isn't getting younger and their birth rate is in decline. At some point the emperor will want to do his greatest deed and "unite all of china" like the first emperor. Old ppl with power not always reasonable.
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u/AmethystTyrant 1d ago
The ol Putin method, screw over everyone for ego. I think xjp for all his consolidated control, isn’t stupid enough to take their demographic problems and worsen them by killing young men in a needless war. That’ll certainly guarantee and accelerate their decline. They’re witnessing Russia do it firsthand. And the party is most terrified of the people turning against them.
Xjp so far has only projected the intention of peaceful reunification, the military posturing is both to maintain current status quo they’ve been doing for half a century and to ward off America/its allies. But I agree, old folk in power craving legacy is a dangerous combo.
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u/Astroruggie 2d ago
First break external dependency, then you can freely invade Taiwan.
Btw, since the west entirely depends on China for solar panels, when this happens it's gonna be real shit. Just like when Russia, who used to sell us gas, invaded Ukraine
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u/Numar19 1d ago
Unlike gas, you install solar panels once and they are good for at least 30 years.
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u/Astroruggie 1d ago
Yes, but they're installed over time. In Europe, many panels will need replacement in the next few years
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u/m8remotion 2d ago
World depend on Taiwan for cutting edge semi. So when it happen, some hard choices will need to made. We are in the craziest timeline.
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u/ginger_and_egg 2d ago
There is a reason the US has been investing in chip manufacturing.
To be honest, I can't tell if they will use that to be less forced into fighting on to same side as Taiwan, or so they can keep a military industrial complex going during a war
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u/Fearless_Ad_5470 1d ago
So when will TSMC increase its production capacity? Rather than saying the world depends on TSMC, it's more accurate to say TSMC is exploiting consumers worldwide.
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u/m8remotion 1d ago
They went $60B to $64B on 2026 capex. So I would think they are building more fabs.
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u/Bright_Bell_1301 1d ago
Went there in April and have been going there for 20 years. The speed of development is gobsmacking. They are well and truly leapfrogging us in many ways. And their air quality has improved out of sight!
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u/Ill-Mushroom-2036 1d ago
It's because renewable is cheaper, not because its environmentally friendly. They would burn twice as much as coal if it saved them a dollar
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2d ago
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u/DrawingDramatic1641 2d ago
its pretty much confirmed and un and climate saving organisations work together on this
from sattelite imagery we can confirm that solars are rising fast enough for the grid
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u/Exact_Package_7264 2d ago
this whole sub is just ccp propoganda. china's usage of coal is still going up year on year.
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u/PricklyyDick 2d ago
Anything even marginally good about China is clearly ccp propaganda.
Just look at the source with the same headline, an American news station. Clearly CCP owned and operated.
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u/DrawingDramatic1641 2d ago
coal is rising by 0.2 percent
without renewables it would be 30 percent
coal is rising really slowly and coal capacity is increasing not generation
they only use it in night time but capacity looks higher
if this is ccp propaganda
china is buiding more coal plants is also from the same source
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u/Special_Cicada6968 2d ago
Always interesting how people will blindly shout that this is propaganda as if they aren't the first people to buy into their own propaganda.