Decarbonization of the Southern Power Grid in China is feasible by 2060 but requires converting a large cropland area to support solar and wind energy; expansion of hydropower will impact the transboundary rivers according to a power system optimization model set up for 2020–2060.
China Southern Power Grid, one of the country's two grid operators, saw output hit 222 million kilowatts (kW), approaching historical highs. China was hit by a record-breaking heat wave and drought last year, with large-scale power shortages that prompted regions like Yunan to ration power usage for aluminium producers.
b The map illustrates the river basins whose hydropower dams feed the China Southern Power Grid (CSPG). These basins are the Mekong, Nujiang, and Red (transboundary) and the Yangtze, Pearl, Qionglei and Southeast Guangxi Coastal river basins (QSGCRB). All riparian countries in which the transboundary basins ow are shown on the map.
A boom in energy storage, mostly through large battery packs for grid-level storage, should also alleviate the supply-demand mismatch on China’s grid over the long term. Goldman Sachs analysts have forecast a 70-fold increase in battery storage in 2030 from 2021 levels.
China ’s creaking grid represents a major constraint to progress on its green energy transition. During the first four months of this year alone, China invested Rmb122.9bn ($17bn) in its power grid projects, a 24.9 per cent year-on-year increase.
During the first four months of this year alone, China invested Rmb122.9bn ($17bn) in its power grid projects, a 24.9 per cent year-on-year increase. That compares with the $3.5bn announced last October by US President Joe Biden’s administration, which covers 58 projects across 44 states.