Launch of the China Renewable Energy Outlook 2019 at COP25 in Madrid

On 12 December 2019, the Chinese Vice Minister of Environment and Ecology, Mr Zhao Yingmin, and the Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities, Mr Dan Jørgensen, launched the China Renewable Energy Outlook 2019 (CREO 2019) at COP25 in Madrid, Spain. The launch took place at the China Pavilion and attracted a large international crowd. The report was prepared by the China National Renewable Energy Centre (CNREC) in close collaboration with the Danish Energy Agency, GIZ, German Energy Agency, Agora Energiewende, Energinet and Ea Energy Analyses. CREO 2019 demonstrates how the Chinese energy system can develop in a cost-effective way that is also in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

In fact, the CREO 2019 highlights how long-term energy planning and expansion of renewable energy can enable China to reach the UN below 2-degree target without increasing the cost of energy. In this way, China can reduce its CO2 emissions by more than 7 billion tons annually in 2050. That is approximately 200 times Denmark’s current annual CO2 emissions.

The report also showcases how China can accomplish its long-term goal of completing a green energy transition while achieving economic growth. To achieve such a scenario, China must expand its installed renewable energy capacity tenfold – from 699 GW in 2018 to 6,033 GW in 2050. For wind capacity alone, this would lead to an increase from 184 GW in 2018 to 2,636 GW in 2050. This increase is close to 450 times the total wind capacity of Denmark in 2018, and would cement China’s position as the largest wind energy market in the world.