China will install a colossal 450 GW solar / wind power plant in the Gobi desert

China already dominates renewable energy production. Its installed capacity of around 895 GW in 2020 was higher than that of the European Union, the United States and Australia combined. And while the world at large is accelerating its transition to renewable energy, China is ramping up its capacity faster than anyone else.

Now, according to Reuters, it has a number of mammoth solar projects in the works and wind farms which will expand its current capacity by nearly half a terawatt. "China will build the largest 450 GW solar and wind power generation capacity in the Gobi desert," said He Lifeng, director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), on the sidelines of the National Congress. del popolo in Beijing on Saturday.




Coal will continue to support China's energy grids for the time being. While around 43.5% of the country's total installed capacity, more than one terawatt by last October, is now renewable.Intermittence issues and capacity factors have kept the percentage of actual energy generated from renewables closer to 26%, with most of the rest on coal. However, this compares favorably with other large economies and will continue to grow steadily as these massive planned resources are in place.