The reason is mainly self sufficiency. Smog and air pollutantion was a huge issue for the CCP because of growing public discontent, but this has largely been addressed by banning coal for heating in cities and switching old inefficient and unfiltered coal plants with Natural Gas and newer coal plants. The growth in EVs is also an ongoing benefit here. But the main thing is shifting the world trade balance. They want to go from an energy importer to exporter, and ideally crash global oil and coal markets in the process, pushing recession on the US, Canada, and Australia.
I get the sharply geopolitical take on this, but y'know... maybe they get not having high cancer rates, obsession with male fertility (because of the chronic pollution) basically they aren't stupid, the heavy growth focus of the 90s and early 2000's knew what of the pollution but that was a sacrifice they felt they must take, but even in old videos chinese leaders acknowledge that it must immediately start green energy as soon as possible. Screw the reputation, for there own homeland.
Whatever people’s opinion on the Chinese government is, I certainly prefer a world where China is eager for the green transformation to a world where China isn’t. And if China forging ahead in renewable energy industry prompts other countries to strengthen their efforts, even if it is out of no other reason than political ’gains’, even better! At this point, we need All Hands On Deck.
CHINA IS WAY SMARTER AND UNITED THEN THIS IMMIGRATION DUMPING GROUND , THAT IS SO DIVIDED AND MASSIVELY IN DEBT. BUT THOSE WHO GOT THEIR HANDS ON MOST THE LOOT ARE LOVING IT.
@@juliane__ They are not fully committed, I agree. But this is still better than 2 decades ago, when the Chinese knee-jerk reaction to any environmental concerns was “The West did this for 200 years, we must also have our share of this mistake for 200 years”
@@thejollygreendragon8394rapidly expanding coal capacity, but the capacity factor is decreasing annually, and actual coal consumption has been up the last few years, mainly due to drought in the south, but is generally flat since the 2010s. It's important to note that the Chinese coal fleet is a lot more advanced than the American or European coal fleet, because it is newer, and has a higher efficiency being super critical or ultra critical plants operating at higher temperatures. New plants are generally either replacing older less efficient plants or being built alongside renewables to balance the grid, the main reason being China's lack of access to cheap natural gas that the US and historically Europe have had. My belief is that the long term plan is to take the Nuclear SMRs they are working on and plug them into the existing coal plants.
@@neolithictransitrevolution427 Chinas coal fleet is not build on cutting edge designs. They build mainly old designs, like they did with nuclear power plants. Theyy aupdated these designs, but neither are cutting edge. Only in the last year i read there are "new" coal plants with 40% efficiency in testing. Hardly cutting edge. This is 20 year old tech. Tbf China plays a double game. They are not fully committed to renewables. 50 GW or 95% of all coal power additions were in China 2023.
@@juliane__ in terms of coal power plants, 20 year old tech is advanced, the majority of coal plants in the US and Europe weren't built in the 2000s. But specifically addressing the point that China is building new coal plants, these plants are the high efficiency "ultra critical" designs. China doesn't care about renewables. It cares about energy self sufficiency, and that requires switching to renewables. The point I'm making is that even building new coal plants, the continuous movement away from coal is ongoing, because China only has ~30 years estimated reserves, and renewables are becoming cheaper. But because China doesn't have access to abundant cheap natural gas like North America, and until recently Europe, it needs coal plants to balance the grid.
great video, cohesive, well informed, interesting. very good.
The reason is mainly self sufficiency. Smog and air pollutantion was a huge issue for the CCP because of growing public discontent, but this has largely been addressed by banning coal for heating in cities and switching old inefficient and unfiltered coal plants with Natural Gas and newer coal plants. The growth in EVs is also an ongoing benefit here.
But the main thing is shifting the world trade balance. They want to go from an energy importer to exporter, and ideally crash global oil and coal markets in the process, pushing recession on the US, Canada, and Australia.
"Corruption is RAMPANT in China!" -Victor Gao, August 2024 in front of a live international audience.
great video as always
I get the sharply geopolitical take on this, but y'know... maybe they get not having high cancer rates, obsession with male fertility (because of the chronic pollution) basically they aren't stupid, the heavy growth focus of the 90s and early 2000's knew what of the pollution but that was a sacrifice they felt they must take, but even in old videos chinese leaders acknowledge that it must immediately start green energy as soon as possible. Screw the reputation, for there own homeland.
Whatever people’s opinion on the Chinese government is, I certainly prefer a world where China is eager for the green transformation to a world where China isn’t.
And if China forging ahead in renewable energy industry prompts other countries to strengthen their efforts, even if it is out of no other reason than political ’gains’, even better!
At this point, we need All Hands On Deck.
CHINA IS WAY SMARTER AND UNITED THEN THIS IMMIGRATION DUMPING GROUND , THAT IS SO DIVIDED AND MASSIVELY IN DEBT. BUT THOSE WHO GOT THEIR HANDS ON MOST THE LOOT ARE LOVING IT.
China pollutes more than the rest of us combined and has no intention on changing it's ways. Just words, that's all.
They are not fully comitted. China added nearly 50 GW coal power in 2023 or 95% of worlds additions.
@@juliane__ “Stinking up the joint”, as they say.
@@juliane__ They are not fully committed, I agree. But this is still better than 2 decades ago, when the Chinese knee-jerk reaction to any environmental concerns was “The West did this for 200 years, we must also have our share of this mistake for 200 years”
Your "like" is stuck at 35. I could not get a response, so I wrote this as a "like" substitute.
they want to sell their excess evs and other items they make but the are the worst polluter in asia
Tbf China has rapidly expanded their solar capacity, iirc they added more solar capacity last year than the US has ever
@@hydromic2518 Rapidly expanding their coal power also
@@thejollygreendragon8394rapidly expanding coal capacity, but the capacity factor is decreasing annually, and actual coal consumption has been up the last few years, mainly due to drought in the south, but is generally flat since the 2010s.
It's important to note that the Chinese coal fleet is a lot more advanced than the American or European coal fleet, because it is newer, and has a higher efficiency being super critical or ultra critical plants operating at higher temperatures. New plants are generally either replacing older less efficient plants or being built alongside renewables to balance the grid, the main reason being China's lack of access to cheap natural gas that the US and historically Europe have had. My belief is that the long term plan is to take the Nuclear SMRs they are working on and plug them into the existing coal plants.
@@neolithictransitrevolution427 Chinas coal fleet is not build on cutting edge designs. They build mainly old designs, like they did with nuclear power plants. Theyy aupdated these designs, but neither are cutting edge. Only in the last year i read there are "new" coal plants with 40% efficiency in testing. Hardly cutting edge. This is 20 year old tech.
Tbf China plays a double game. They are not fully committed to renewables. 50 GW or 95% of all coal power additions were in China 2023.
@@juliane__ in terms of coal power plants, 20 year old tech is advanced, the majority of coal plants in the US and Europe weren't built in the 2000s. But specifically addressing the point that China is building new coal plants, these plants are the high efficiency "ultra critical" designs.
China doesn't care about renewables. It cares about energy self sufficiency, and that requires switching to renewables. The point I'm making is that even building new coal plants, the continuous movement away from coal is ongoing, because China only has ~30 years estimated reserves, and renewables are becoming cheaper. But because China doesn't have access to abundant cheap natural gas like North America, and until recently Europe, it needs coal plants to balance the grid.
Russia has sleeper cells south in the united states