China scales back solar, wind ambitions as renewables cool

Beijing

CHINA, the world's biggest clean-energy investor, has lowered its solar and wind power targets for 2020: a reflection of how record installations of renewables have overwhelmed the ability of the nation's grid to absorb the new electricity.

China is now aiming for 110 gigawatts (GW) of solar power by 2020 - a 27 per cent reduction from an earlier target, according to a webcast posted on the website of the National Energy Administration (NEA) that cited the agency's chief engineer, Han Shui. The nation reduced its goal for wind power by 16 per cent to 210 GW.