RIP King Coal

[Valmy]

Wiki says, in 2014, total electricity production in China was 5,583 TWh.  Coal accounted for 4,354, or about 78%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_China

Well who are we going to trust? The CEC or Wiki?

I did like that it has two charts side by side. One says:

Generating Capacity 2014 [1505 GW] and Production by Source 2013 [5322 TWh]
Generation Source   Generating Capacity 2014 GW   Electrical Production TWh2013   
Coal   907 [5]   3959 [6]   
thermal, natural gas, bio-mass   135 [7]   201
Hydropower   300 [5]   896 [8]
Wind power   90[9]   140 [10]
Solar power   28 [11]   9 [12]
Nuclear power   21 [13]   124, [14]
excluding Hong Kong

Where Coal is 74.4% of the total (for 2013). This chart is basically in line with what the CEC reported (or supposedly reported, since I cannot read it)

And the chart right next to it says:

Electricity production in China (TWh)[2]
From coal   Total    %
2004   1,713   2,200   78%
2007   2,656   3,279   81%
2008   2,733   3,457   79%
2009   2,913   3,696   79%
2010   3,273   4,208   78%
2011   3,724   4,715   79%
2012   3,850   4,937   78%
2013   4,200   5,398   78%
2014   4,354   5,583   78%
excluding Hong Kong

Which is pretty different.

The wiki article does not paint a very pretty picture for coal's future either, noting rising costs undermining government policy.

[MadImmortalMan]

[Valmy]

Coal not Cole!

[OttoVonBismarck]

Eh, the Communist Party has made a big and highly publicized push to cut emissions. It's a pride thing for them now, I think there is a certain arrogance in basically wanting to show up the United States, to show that the system of government in China is capable of responding far more aggressively and efficiently to the climate change problem than America is. I'd be very shocked if China doesn't continue to beat its own estimates in terms of renewable generation and carbon reduction, and will likely be ahead of schedule by 2030.

[Monoriu]

I don't know, statistics and reality often have little relationship in mainland China anyway

[Eddie Teach]

Coal not Cole!

Does he still want his fiddlers three?

[alfred russel]

Eh, the Communist Party has made a big and highly publicized push to cut emissions. It's a pride thing for them now, I think there is a certain arrogance in basically wanting to show up the United States, to show that the system of government in China is capable of responding far more aggressively and efficiently to the climate change problem than America is. I'd be very shocked if China doesn't continue to beat its own estimates in terms of renewable generation and carbon reduction, and will likely be ahead of schedule by 2030.

Wouldnt it be great if in cold war 2.0 the arms race was replaced with a carbon emissions reduction race?

[Monoriu]

Eh, the Communist Party has made a big and highly publicized push to cut emissions. It's a pride thing for them now, I think there is a certain arrogance in basically wanting to show up the United States, to show that the system of government in China is capable of responding far more aggressively and efficiently to the climate change problem than America is. I'd be very shocked if China doesn't continue to beat its own estimates in terms of renewable generation and carbon reduction, and will likely be ahead of schedule by 2030.

Wouldnt it be great if in cold war 2.0 the arms race was replaced with a carbon emissions reduction race?

I think it'll be along the lines of, I'm going to burn as much coal as I want.  Since I'm armed with nuclear weapons, feel free to cry me a river

[Josquius]

Beating the US. And the awful air quality in china being a potential source of unrest.

[Iormlund]

Eh, the Communist Party has made a big and highly publicized push to cut emissions. It's a pride thing for them now, I think there is a certain arrogance in basically wanting to show up the United States, to show that the system of government in China is capable of responding far more aggressively and efficiently to the climate change problem than America is. I'd be very shocked if China doesn't continue to beat its own estimates in terms of renewable generation and carbon reduction, and will likely be ahead of schedule by 2030.

Wouldnt it be great if in cold war 2.0 the arms race was replaced with a carbon emissions reduction race?

I think it'll be along the lines of, I'm going to burn as much coal as I want.  Since I'm armed with nuclear weapons, feel free to cry me a river

Burning coal causes severe health and productivity costs. It is not in China's best interest to use it. It would be a lot smarter to use nuclear instead.

[Monoriu]

Burning coal causes severe health and productivity costs. It is not in China's best interest to use it. It would be a lot smarter to use nuclear instead.

I agree.  But even in China, there is a lot of political opposition to nuclear power plants.  Believe it or not, lots of major projects have been overturned due to protests and local opposition.  Nuclear plants won't be welcome, especially after Fukushima. 

[Zanza]

China isn't as conservative or close-minded as Mono, so they will move away from coal.

[citizen k]

I've heard some positive things coming out of China regarding non-carbon intensive energy sources.

[Admiral Yi]

Pretty carbon intensive. 

[Monoriu]

China isn't as conservative or close-minded as Mono, so they will move away from coal.

Heh, I thought the exact same thing. 

I've heard some positive things coming out of China regarding non-carbon intensive energy sources.

Yeah, and I have heard about these positive things since the 90s.  As of now, much of China is still covered by smog

I think whether China will move away from coal is one of the most decisive factors that will make or break the efforts to counter global warming.  It is also one of those things where the West has little influence.  The trap is that people tend to assume that it will turn out fine.  Because if China keeps using coal, then the whole thing is doomed to fail, so it is easy to engage in wishful thinking and say "everything is getting better and will be fine."