Gansu making great green energy gains

Electricians adjust transformers at a wind power station in Shandan, Gansu province, in March last year. [Wang Jiang/For China Daily]

Renewables account for 62% of province's power generation capacity

Seizing the opportunity of carbon reduction and green transition, Gansu province has emerged as a renewable energy powerhouse in recent years.

According to government statistics, the province's wind and photovoltaic energy development rank fourth and fifth, respectively, nationwide. A massive wind power generation base with an installed capacity of more than 10 million kilowatts is in operation in Jiuquan, in addition to four 1-million-kW photovoltaic power bases.

Against the backdrop of managing carbon emissions, the province's green energy initiatives have created energy exports and optimized industrial structures, propelling the advancement of a new industrial era.

With the accelerated progress of the "dual carbon" strategy — peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060 — the power grid in Gansu is now a major node in Northwest China and a main conduit for transmitting power from China's west to its east.

An array of photovoltaic panels is ready to generate power at a plant in Linze, Gansu, in February last year. [Wang Jiang/For China Daily]

As of the end of May, Gansu's total installed power capacity had reached 91 million kW, with renewable energy accounting for 56.3 million kW, or nearly 62 percent of the total capacity. This proportion of renewable energy in the power generation mix ranks second in the nation.

This year as of the end of May, the province's renewable energy output reached 33.4 billion kilowatt-hours, representing 36.8 percent of the total electricity generated. Gansu transmits electricity to 25 provincial-level regions in China, solidifying its status as a key player in driving the country's transition toward a greener energy landscape.

A worker installs support shelves for photovoltaic panels at a power station under the scorching sun in Shandan, Gansu province, in May last year. [Wang Jiang/For China Daily]

Electricians install photovoltaic panels for residents of Xijie village in Linze, Gansu, in November. [Wang Jiang/For China Daily]

Electricians install equipment at a green energy power grid dedicated to urban heating in Linze, Gansu, in October 2020. [Wang Jiang/For China Daily]

Workers maintain drip irrigation pipes under photovoltaic panels in Wuwei, Gansu province, in June last year. Shrubs planted under the panels help mitigate the process of desertification. [Fan Peishen/Xinhua]

Electricians connect cables at a photovoltaic power industrial park in Zhangye, Gansu province, in December 2021. [Cheng Lin/For China Daily]