China saw better utilization of renewable energy in 2018

BEIJING: China wasted less renewable energy in the past year amid a rising utilization rate, official data showed Monday.

The country's average utilization rate of hydropower stood at around 95 percent in 2018, while curtailment rates of wind power and photovoltaic power dropped by 5 percentage points and 2.8 percentage points, respectively, said Li Chuangjun, a senior official with the National Energy Administration (NEA).

In 2018, the NEA and related departments adjusted policies to address the rising subsidy shortfalls and increasing waste of photovoltaic power caused by the fast expanding photovoltaic power industry.

China built over 44 million kilowatts of new photovoltaic power capacity last year, second only to the amount in 2017.

The NEA data also showed by the end of 2018, China's renewable energy registered an installed capacity of 728 million kilowatts, jumping 12 percent year on year.

The renewable energy generated electricity of 1.87 trillion kilowatt hours in 2018, rising by 170 billion kilowatt hours from a year earlier.