Redefining Energy - Tech, a channel of the award-winning Redefining Energy podcast, features deep and broad conversations between global decarbonization leaders and technologists and host Michael Barnard. His informed perspectives on energy, industry and transportation enable him to have intense conversations with brilliant and knowledgeable people. You’ll be informed, stimulated and amused.
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Redefining Energy - Tech, a channel of the award-winning Redefining Energy podcast, features deep and broad conversations between global decarbonization leaders and technologists and host Michael Barnard. His informed perspectives on energy, industry and transportation enable him to have intense conversations with brilliant and knowledgeable people. You’ll be informed, stimulated and amused.
46. China’s Balancing Act: Coal, Renewables and Nuclear (2/2)
Redefining Energy - TECH
49 minutes
8 months ago
46. China’s Balancing Act: Coal, Renewables and Nuclear (2/2)
In Episode 46 of *Redefining Energy - Tech*, host Michael Barnard concludes his talk with David Fishman. David examines China's dynamic energy landscape, emphasizing the rapid development of wind, solar, and energy storage technologies.
The episode begins with a comprehensive analysis of wind energy, highlighting significant growth in onshore wind despite grid curtailment challenges in western regions. Offshore wind, while slower to develop, is gaining traction with ambitious plans for 15-30 GW per coastal province. Meanwhile, distributed wind energy is emerging as a key focus under innovative policies like the "10,000 Villages Harness the Wind" initiative.
The conversation moves to solar energy, where Fishman explores the dual success of utility-scale megabase projects in deserts and the booming distributed solar sector. Public-private collaborations, such as the Whole County Rooftop Solar Promotion Program, have driven rooftop solar installations to tens of gigawatts in China's eastern provinces, accounting for half of the solar market.
Fishman then delves into energy storage, contrasting the long-standing dominance of pumped hydropower with the meteoric rise of lithium-ion battery installations, which now outpace hydro in capacity. Battery storage serves critical roles in energy arbitrage, grid stability, and regulatory compliance, driven by mandates for renewables projects to integrate storage solutions. Independent operators are also investing heavily in battery facilities near renewable energy sites.
The episode concludes with a discussion of technological advancements, including the decreasing costs of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery storage, averaging $66 per kWh in recent auctions. Fishman reflects on potential resource constraints and philosophical questions surrounding China's motivations for clean tech innovation, challenging listeners to consider whether noble intentions are essential if the results drive meaningful progress.
This episode provides a nuanced exploration of the strategies and challenges defining China’s energy future.
Redefining Energy - TECH
Redefining Energy - Tech, a channel of the award-winning Redefining Energy podcast, features deep and broad conversations between global decarbonization leaders and technologists and host Michael Barnard. His informed perspectives on energy, industry and transportation enable him to have intense conversations with brilliant and knowledgeable people. You’ll be informed, stimulated and amused.
