Wang Dapeng, Deputy Director of the New and Renewable Energy Department of the National Energy Administration, introduced the development of renewable energy in 2022.  

 Development of Renewable Energy in 2022  

Over the past year, the National Energy Administration has focused on the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, strengthened top-level design, provided policy support, coordinated energy security supply and green low-carbon development. Renewable energy has shown a good momentum of rapid development, high operational quality, high utilization level, and strong industrial competitiveness, achieving many landmark new achievements.  

1. Newly installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation nationwide exceeded 120 million kilowatts, a record high, driving the installed capacity of renewable energy to exceed 1.2 billion kilowatts. In 2022, the newly installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation nationwide exceeded 120 million kilowatts, reaching 125 million kilowatts, exceeding 100 million kilowatts for three consecutive years, setting a new historical high. The annual newly installed capacity of renewable energy was 152 million kilowatts, accounting for 76.2% of the country's new power installed capacity, and has become the main body of China's new power installed capacity. Among them, wind power increased by 37.63 million kilowatts, solar power generation increased by 87.41 million kilowatts, biomass power generation increased by 3.34 million kilowatts, conventional hydropower increased by 15.07 million kilowatts, and pumped storage increased by 8.8 million kilowatts. By the end of 2022, the installed capacity of renewable energy exceeded 1.2 billion kilowatts, reaching 1.213 billion kilowatts, accounting for 47.3% of the country's total power installed capacity, an increase of 2.5 percentage points compared with 2021. Among them, wind power was 365 million kilowatts, solar power generation was 393 million kilowatts, biomass power generation was 41 million kilowatts, conventional hydropower was 368 million kilowatts, and pumped storage was 45 million kilowatts.  

2. Annual power generation from wind and photovoltaic power exceeded 1 trillion kilowatt-hours for the first time. In 2022, China's wind and photovoltaic power generation exceeded 1 trillion kilowatt-hours, reaching 1.19 trillion kilowatt-hours, an increase of 207.3 billion kilowatt-hours compared with 2021, a year-on-year increase of 21%, accounting for 13.8% of thethe whole society electricity consumption, an increase of 2 percentage points year-on-year, close to the electricity consumption of urban and rural residents nationwide. In 2022, renewable energy power generation reached 2.7 trillion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 31.6% of the全社会 electricity consumption, an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared with 2021. Renewable energy is playing an increasingly obvious role in ensuring energy supply.  

3. Significant progress has been made in major renewable energy projects. First, the construction of large-scale wind and photovoltaic bases focusing on deserts, gobi, and desertified areas has progressed smoothly. The first batch of 97.05 million kilowatt base projects have all started construction, and some have been completed and put into operation; some projects of the second batch of bases have started one after another; and the project list for the third batch of bases has been formulated. Second, hydropower construction has been actively promoted. All 16 units of the Baihetan Hydropower Station have been completed and put into operation. The six giant cascade hydropower stations on the main stream of the Yangtze River, Wudongde, Baihetan, Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba, Three Gorges, and Gezhouba, have formed the world's largest "clean energy corridor". Third, the construction of pumped storage has accelerated significantly. In 2022, 48 pumped storage projects were newly approved nationwide, with an installed capacity of 68.9 million kilowatts, exceeding the total approved scale during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period. The newly put into operation capacity throughout the year was 8.8 million kilowatts, a record high.  

4. The competitiveness of renewable energy continues to strengthen. First, the development of renewable energy has a high degree of marketization, with many types of market entities, sufficient competition, and strong innovation vitality. Second, technological progress has driven a significant reduction in costs. Onshore 6MW-class and offshore 10MW-class wind turbines have become mainstream, and the average conversion efficiency of mass-produced monocrystalline silicon cells has reached 23.1%. Third, new models and formats such as photovoltaic sand control, "agriculture + photovoltaic", and renewable energy hydrogen production continue to emerge. Distributed development has become the main way for wind and photovoltaic development. In 2022, the newly installed capacity of distributed photovoltaics was 51.11 million kilowatts, accounting for more than 58% of the new photovoltaic installed capacity that year.  

5. China's renewable energy continues to maintain a leading position in the world. The global new energy industry focus has further shifted to China. China's production of key components such as photovoltaic modules, wind turbines, and gearboxes accounts for 70% of the global market share. At the same time, China's renewable energy development has made positive contributions to global emission reduction. In 2022, China's renewable energy power generation was equivalent to reducing domestic carbon dioxide emissions by about 2.26 billion tons, and exported wind and photovoltaic products helped other countries reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 573 million tons, with a total reduction of 2.83 billion tons, accounting for about 41% of the global carbon emission reduction from renewable energy in the same period. China has become an active participant and important contributor to global response to climate change.  

 Progress in Improving the Renewable Energy Green Power Certificate System  

General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly proposed in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to advocate green consumption and promote the formation of green and low-carbon production and lifestyle. To implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the National Energy Administration has actively promoted green power certificate trading to guide green power consumption. In 2022, 20.6 million green certificates were issued throughout the year, corresponding to 20.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, an increase of 135% compared with 2021; the transaction volume reached 9.69 million, corresponding to 9.69 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, an increase of 15.8 times compared with 2021. By the end of 2022, a total of about 59.54 million green certificates had been issued nationwide, with a cumulative transaction volume of 10.31 million, effectively promoting the green and low-carbon transformation and high-quality development of the economy and society.  

2023 is the first year to fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. We will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully and deeply study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, actively adapt to the new requirements of transforming from the "dual control" of energy consumption to the "dual control" of total carbon emissions and intensity, promote the improvement of the renewable energy green power certificate system, and enhance the level of green power consumption.  

1. Improve the *Notice on Promoting the Consumption of Renewable Energy Power*, clarify the authority, uniqueness, universality, and leading role of green certificates, expand the scope of green certificate issuance and trading, expand green certificate trading platforms, promote full coverage of green certificate issuance, and do a good job in connecting with the carbon market.  

2. Formulate trading rules, further clarify the rights and obligations of major members of the green certificate market such as green certificate issuing agencies, trading platforms, and trading entities, systematically design the green certificate account management system, and stipulate specific operation methods for green certificate issuance and trading.  

3. Simultaneously improve the renewable energy power consumption guarantee mechanism based on green certificates, guide the rational consumption and utilization of renewable energy power nationwide, improve the level of green power consumption, and promote the implementation of the green certificate mechanism.  

At present, relevant policies and systems are being stepped up and improved, and will be publicly solicited for comments from the whole society in due course.  

 Q&A  

Reporter**: 2023 is the first year to fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. I would like to ask how the National Energy Administration will promote the large-scale, high-quality, and leapfrog development of renewable energy on the premise of ensuring energy security supply?  

Wang Dapeng**: I will introduce the key work that the National Energy Administration plans to promote in 2023 to promote the large-scale, high-quality, and leapfrog development of renewable energy. In 2023, the National Energy Administration will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, coordinate energy security guarantee and green low-carbon transformation, and accelerate the planning and construction of a new energy system on the premise of ensuring energy security supply, continuously promoting the large-scale, high-quality, and leapfrog development of renewable energy.  

1. Focus on implementing the plan, further clarify development expectations, organize renewable energy pilot demonstrations, and further promote wind and photovoltaic technological innovation and development model innovation; conduct a mid-term evaluation of the "14th Five-Year Plan" in a timely manner.  

2. Focus on the new situation and new requirements for the development of renewable energy, promote the revision of the *Renewable Energy Law*; further improve the renewable energy green power certificate system, and establish a renewable energy power consumption guarantee mechanism based on green certificates.  

3. Focus on the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and promote the implementation of renewable energy substitution actions. Focus on the clean, low-carbon, and efficient use of energy, and accelerate the substitution of renewable energy in industrial, transportation, and housing construction fields.  

4. Focus on building a new energy system, and vigorously promote major renewable energy projects. The first batch of large-scale wind and photovoltaic base projects will be connected to the grid and put into operation, the second and third batches of base projects will start one after another, and the construction of offshore wind power bases will proceed steadily and orderly. At the same time, it is necessary to promote the construction of distributed onshore wind power and distributed photovoltaic power generation projects. Organize the optimization of pumped storage layout and promote the sound and rapid development of pumped storage.  

5. Focus on the revolution in county energy production, consumption, technology, and system, adapt measures to local conditions, implement classified policies, guide localities to fully start the construction of pilot counties for rural energy revolution, increase rural clean energy supply, explore the establishment of a new rural energy system, and help promote rural revitalization in an all-round way.  

Reporter: In recent years, the National Energy Administration has actively promoted green power certificate trading to guide green power consumption. What is the important significance and role of green power certificates for the development of renewable energy in China? Thank you.  

Wang Dapeng: Green power certificates are the "electronic ID cards" of green power generated by renewable energy power generation enterprises. One green certificate corresponds to 1,000 kWh of renewable energy electricity. The generation or transaction of each green certificate means that 1,000 kWh of renewable energy green power has been connected to the grid or consumed. Therefore, green certificates are proof of the green attributes of renewable energy electricity and the only certificate for identifying the production and consumption of renewable energy. Power generation enterprises obtain environmental value benefits of green power by selling green certificates, and power users prove their consumption of green power by purchasing and holding green certificates. In August 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, and the National Energy Administration jointly issued the *Notice on Further Doing a Good Job in Excluding New Renewable Energy Consumption from Total Energy Consumption Control*, which clearly identified green certificates as the basic certificate for determining renewable energy power consumption. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed to advocate green consumption and promote the formation of green and low-carbon production and lifestyle. The issuance and transaction of green certificates are of great significance for promoting the high-quality development of renewable energy and improving the level of green power consumption.  

1. It is conducive to promoting the development and construction of renewable energy. By selling green certificates, power generation enterprises can obtain additional green environmental benefits independent of the value of renewable energy electricity, which is conducive to mobilizing the enthusiasm of market entities to invest in renewable energy construction.  

2. It is conducive to promoting the consumption and utilization of renewable energy. Renewable energy has entered a new stage of high-quality development, with increasing installed capacity. Expanding the scope of green certificate issuance and trading will promote the production and consumption of green power from the user side, and promote the high-level consumption and utilization of renewable energy.  

3. It is conducive to leading green consumption. At present, some multinational enterprises with environmental awareness have made commitments to use 100% green power, and some countries have also put forward clear requirements for the green power consumption of import and export commodities. Purchasing green certificates to prove green power consumption is also an important internationally accepted way to reflect environmental protection contributions.  

At present, we are further improving the green power certificate system in light of the new situation and new requirements, clarifying the authority, uniqueness, universality, and leading role of green certificates, expanding the scope of green certificate issuance, promoting green certificate and green power trading, guiding green power consumption, and playing a greater role in promoting the development and utilization of renewable energy and promoting better consumption of green power by the whole society.