Wind power helps reduce China’s growing carbon dioxide emissions
Rudong wind farm can save an annual 234,000 tonnes of CO2
With a population of over 1.3 billion, China now produces more carbon dioxide emissions in total than any other country in the world. This stark fact has been a major influence on the country’s determination to offset some of the pollution from its army of coal-fired power stations by opting for wind power.
According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s current aim is to reduce total emissions of major pollutants by 10%, including greenhouse gases.
Rudong wind farm is expected to avoid the emission of 234,000 tonnes of CO2 every year which would be emitted by other polluting power stations in a country heavily relying on coal for electricity production.
If China were to install 200 GW of wind power, as projected by the Global Wind Energy Council in its ‘advanced scenario’ for 2020, then up to 360 million tonnes of CO2 emissions would be saved every year.
With a population of over 1.3 billion, China now produces more carbon dioxide emissions in total than any other country in the world. This stark fact has been a major influence on the country’s determination to offset some of the pollution from its army of coal-fired power stations by opting for wind power.
According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s current aim is to reduce total emissions of major pollutants by 10%, including greenhouse gases.
Rudong wind farm is expected to avoid the emission of 234,000 tonnes of CO2 every year which would be emitted by other polluting power stations in a country heavily relying on coal for electricity production.
If China were to install 200 GW of wind power, as projected by the Global Wind Energy Council in its ‘advanced scenario’ for 2020, then up to 360 million tonnes of CO2 emissions would be saved every year.
A study reported in the journal Science (September 2009) concludes that China could reduce its carbon emissions by as much as 30% if wind power was paid a guaranteed price of 7.6 US cents for each unit of output and covered most of the demand for new electricity production up to 2030.
In order to encourage carbon savings, wind farms like Rudong can register under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). This enables a project in a developing country like China to sell carbon credits to a company or organisation from a developed country – helping to meet its own emissions reduction target. The income from these sales in turn helps finance the Chinese wind farm, contributing up to 15% of its revenue.
Most of the CDM projects involving wind power around the world have been constructed in China, and over 21,500 MW of wind projects are currently in the ‘CDM pipeline’ in China alone.
The Rudong wind farm has also been developed with careful concern for its local environment. Located in mud flats close to the sea, special construction techniques were used to minimise land usage and disturbance. No agricultural land was taken up.
In order to encourage carbon savings, wind farms like Rudong can register under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). This enables a project in a developing country like China to sell carbon credits to a company or organisation from a developed country – helping to meet its own emissions reduction target. The income from these sales in turn helps finance the Chinese wind farm, contributing up to 15% of its revenue.
Most of the CDM projects involving wind power around the world have been constructed in China, and over 21,500 MW of wind projects are currently in the ‘CDM pipeline’ in China alone.
The Rudong wind farm has also been developed with careful concern for its local environment. Located in mud flats close to the sea, special construction techniques were used to minimise land usage and disturbance. No agricultural land was taken up.
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