China's renewable energy sector reducing carbon emissions

The robust development of China's renewable energy sector has helped significantly reduce carbon emissions both domestically and globally, according to Dong Wancheng, deputy director of the development and planning department of the National Energy Administration.

The renewable energy generated across China last year was equivalent to a direct reduction of about 2.46 billion metric tons of carbon emissions, he said at a recent news conference organized by the State Council Information Office.

The products the country exported for wind and solar power development in the year aided other countries in cutting approximately 810 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, he added.

According to the administration, China saw its renewable energy generation reach nearly 3 trillion kilowatt-hours, representing almost one-third of the country's total power consumption.

As of September, the installed capacity for wind and solar power had reached 1.25 billion kilowatts, he said, adding the installed capacity for renewable energy had accounted for 54.7 percent of the total.

The official has also highlighted an increasingly greener trend in China's energy development.

Over the past decade, the share of clean energy consumption in China has increased by 10.9 percentage points, and the share of coal consumption has decreased by 12.1 percentage points, he said.