Xinjiang forges ahead with renewable energy

Carbon footprint

Tian Juxiong, who works for SPIC, told a group of visitors how the project helps reduce the nation's carbon footprint.

He said it curbs coal consumption by 110,000 metric tons annually, and reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide by 330,000 tons and 1,300 tons, respectively, every year.

"A tree can absorb 18 kilograms of carbon dioxide, and therefore this project is equivalent to planting 17 million trees a year," Tian said.

He added that construction of an additional 400-MW project is expected to be completed as soon as the end of the year.

The expansion of the solar energy supply comes as China has pledged to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060.

To achieve these goals, the central government has introduced rules to reduce emissions produced by heavy industry, such as steel and cement manufacture, and to phase out vehicles that run on fossil fuels.

It has also promoted the use of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, and invested heavily in infrastructure and technology.

China is now the world's largest producer of wind and solar energy.

"These newly approved solar projects are mostly measured by gigawatts (an electrical unit that is 1,000 times the megawatt)," Cao said:

China's largest photovoltaic power plant, which is one of the biggest in the world, is situated on 600 square kilometers of land in Qinghai province, with an installed capacity of some 16 GW.