Chinas is stepping up its commitment to green energy, with a forecast report saying that its wind power capacity is set to expand five fold by 2020.
According to an official report, “China Wind Power Outlook 2010” the total output expected from wind turbines in 2020 will be 150 gigawatts, up from 25.8 gigawatts in December 2009. The report’s estimates are conservative, with Greenpeace and the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA) expecting the output to be in the range of 230 gigawatts over the next decade. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is even more ambitious with a 250 gigawatt estimation.
If the output reaches around the 200 gigawatt mark, it would mean an energy output 13 times the amount output by the Three Gorges Dam and it would have cut carbon emissions by around 400 million tonnes, according to Yang Ailun from Greenpeace in China.
Yang, the head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace said, "China is at a crossroads. It can choose between the dirty, dangerous world of coal and fossil fuels, or the new, clean future promised by wind. The answer is obvious."
At present China is dependent on coal for more than 70 percent of its energy production and is leading the world in greenhouse gas emissions. China has vowed to increase energy efficiency, but has yet to accept an emission cut or outside external verification of greenhouse gas reductions.
