China's consumption of renewable energy rises 10.8 percent annually in 2017

China’s consumption of renewable energy rose 10.8 percent annually last year as the country increased generation and distribution networks, the National Energy Administration said today.

The consumption of renewable energy covering solar, wind, biomass and hydropower totaled 1.67 trillion kilowatt-hours 

in 2017. These energy sources accounted for 26.5 percent of China’s total energy consumption, up 1.1 percentage points  from a year ago.

The higher consumption was due to increases in generation and distribution, with renewable energy generation reaching 1.70 trillion kilowatt-hours last year, taking up 26.5 percent of China’s total energy generation.

More households were able to access renewable energy because China’s 12 ultra-high voltage power lines distributed 190 billion kWh of power last year, up 10 percent from 2016. 

Northwest provinces and regions such as Qinghai, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia consumed most solar and wind power, as the renewable energy accounted for over 18 percent of total energy consumption in these areas.

The upgrading in distribution also helped Hebei and Hunan provinces post significant growth in renewable energy consumption last year.