In the guide below, we provide a summary/breakdown of energy in China.
We look at consumption, production, energy sources that make up the energy mix, energy use by industry, a forecast for future energy use, and more.
Summary – Energy In China
Energy In China Compared To The Rest Of The World
China currently uses and produces the most energy of any country in the world
The United States is in second place
Total Primary Energy Consumption In China
In 2018, China’s total primary energy consumption was 147.57 quadrillion Btu
The data below also shows that China’s total primary energy consumption has been growing on an annual basis recently
China’s Total Primary Energy Consumption vs The United States’ Total Primary Energy Consumption
China’s primary energy consumption is currently significantly higher than the US’
Per Capita Energy Consumption In China
Separate to total electricity consumption, we identify China’s per capita energy consumption in the guide below
China’s Per Capita Energy Consumption vs China’s Per Capita Energy Consumption
China’s per capita electricity consumption is currently significantly lower than the US’
Total Electricity Consumption In China
In 2018, China’s total electricity consumption was 6880.1 TWh
China’s Total Electricity Output vs Electricity Consumption
In 2013, China had an electricity output that was roughly the same as their electricity consumption
China’s electricity output, consumption, and installed capacity might all be the largest in the world
Sectors & Industries That Consume The Most Energy In China
Aside from power production, the industrial sector uses the most energy in China
There are a small number of industries in the industrial sector that might use majority of the energy (nearly 70% of the energy)
How Much Electricity China Produces
We include China’s total electricity production numbers in the guide below
From the electricity production vs electricity consumption data available, China may produce roughly the same amount of electricity as it consumes domestically
China’s electricity production, consumption and installed capacity may all be the largest in the world
China’s Electricity Production vs The United States’ Electricity Production
The US’ total electricity production is currently lower than China’s total electricity production
Where China Gets It’s Energy From – Energy Mix
Coal makes up the vast majority of China’s energy mix
Crude oil is in a distant second place
China currently uses more coal than the rest of the world combined, and has increased it’s total use of coal significantly over the last few decades
China’s Energy Mix vs The United States’ Energy Mix
China might currently use far more coal, and less natural gas than the US
Energy Sources Used Just For Electricity Generation In China
Coal provides the vast majority of energy for China’s electricity production
China’s Installed Energy Capacity
Today, coal by far has the largest installed energy capacity in China
By 2040, some projection indicate that coal will still have the largest installed energy capacity in China, but, solar, wind and hydro are all projected to increase in installed energy capacity to follow behind coal as the energy sources with the largest installed energy capacity
China’s Recent Energy Trends
– Energy Production & Electricity Consumption
In the last few decades, data shows that both energy production and final electricity consumption have consistently been increasing in China
– Energy Mix
In terms of a % share of the overall energy mix in China in the last few decades, whilst coal still makes up majority of the energy share, coal consumption has been decreasing, whilst natural gas, renewables and ‘other energy sources’ have been slightly increasing
Forecasts & Projections For Energy In China In The Future
By 2030, non fossil fuels as a % share energy consumption could increase, along with coal’s % decreasing. But, absolute coal consumption could still increase
By 2040 to 2050, several projections indicate that energy generation and energy share from coal will significantly decrease, and renewables will significantly increase. Several reports indicate that natural gas could increase too
Energy demand might continue to increase into the future, but it might be slowed by various factors too
Renewable Energy In China – Present, & In The Future
Right now, China might be the world’s largest renewable energy producer – particularly for some individual renewable energy sources like hydro, solar and wind
In the future, renewable energy as a % share of energy consumption is expected to increase into the future, and there’s been previous commitments to more investment
However, there may be several challenges that China faces in transitioning from fossil fuels (and coal in particular), to renewables
China’s Investment In Electric Cars
China may be one of the countries that has invested the most in electric vehicles
What this may mean is that, in terms of energy share %, China has to increase energy consumption for electricity production and decrease energy consumption for traditional petroleum based transport fuels
Heating Energy In China
We will come back and update this section when we have more information on heating energy in China
Some Considerations For The Energy Sector Of Different Countries Going Into The Future
The Different Ways Energy Can Be Measured
We listed the different ways energy can be measured in a separate guide
Primary Energy Consumption In China – Total
Total primary energy consumption takes into account consumption of all primary energy sources across the economy (i.e. not just energy used for electricity generation)
The data below shows that China’s total primary energy consumption has been growing on an annual basis recently
Total Primary Energy Consumption
According to knoema.com:
[In 2018, China’s total primary energy consumption was 147.57 quadrillion Btu]
Total Primary Energy Consumption Over Time – Trend
According to knoema.com:
[Overall, China’s total primary energy consumption has been growing every year] … at an average annual rate of 7.27%
China’s Total Primary Energy Consumption vs The United States’ Total Primary Energy Consumption
Energy Consumption In China – Per Capita
Separate to total energy consumption, per capita energy consumption takes into account the size of the population
According to worlddata.info:
[Based on a] total consumption of energy [figure] in China [of] 5,564.00 billion kWh of electric energy per year … [this equates to a] Per capita … average of 3,995 kWh
China’s Per Capita Energy Consumption vs The United States’ Per Capita Energy Consumption
China’s per capita energy consumption might be much lower than the US’
Total Electricity Consumption In China
Total electricity consumption takes into account only electricity
It does not take into other forms of energy, such as petroleum based transport fuels
According to iea.org:
[In 2018, China’s total electricity consumption was 6880.1 TWh]
China’s Electricity Output vs Electricity Consumption
In 2013, China had an electricity output that was roughly the same at their electricity consumption
China’s electricity output, consumption, and installed capacity might all be the largest in the world
From wikipedia.org:
[In 2013] China’s total annual electricity output was 5.398 trillion kWh and the annual consumption was 5.380 trillion kWh with an installed capacity of 1247 GW (all the largest in the world).
Sectors & Industries That Use The Most Energy In China
Aside from power production, the industrial sector uses the most energy in China
There are a small number of industries in the industrial sector that might use majority of the energy (nearly 70% of the energy)
Sectors That Use The Most Energy
From chinapower.csis.org:
In 2015, most of China’s energy use … came from the industrial sector, with 67.9 percent of the country’s energy use … due to manufacturing, agriculture, and construction.
… power production activities [also used a significant amount of coal energy]
Which Industries Use The Most Energy In The Industrial Sector
From wikipedia.org:
[The following six industries account for nearly 70% of energy use in the industrial sector:]
… electricity generation, steel, non-ferrous metals, construction materials, oil processing and chemicals …
How Much Electricity China Produces
From the data available, China may produce roughly the same amount of electricity as it consumes domestically
China’s electricity production, consumption and installed capacity may all be the largest in the world
China produces 5,883 bn kWh from electric energy producing facilities, compared to it’s consumption of 5,564.00 billion kWh (worlddata.info)
From wikipedia.org:
[In 2013] China’s total annual electricity output was 5.398 trillion kWh and the annual consumption was 5.380 trillion kWh with an installed capacity of 1247 GW (all the largest in the world).
China’s Electricity Production vs The United States’ Electricity Production
The United States’ electricity production might be lower than China’s electricity production
Where China Gets Most Of Its Energy From – Energy Mix
Coal makes up the vast majority of China’s energy mix
Crude oil is in a distant second place
China currently uses more coal than the rest of the world combined, and has increased it’s total use of coal significantly over the last few decades
China’s Energy Mix In Terms Of Energy Consumption
China’s energy consumption in 2019 was attributed to the following energy sources in the following % shares:
Coal – 57.7%
Crude Oil – 18.9%
Renewables & Other – 15.3
Natural Gas – 8.1%
– chinapower.csis.org
China’s Significant Use Of Coal
Since 2011, China has consumed more coal than the rest of the world combined.
From 1990 to 2015, China increased its coal consumption from 1.05 billion tons to 3.97 billion tons.
– chinapower.csis.org
China’s Energy Mix vs The United States’ Energy Mix
Where Other Major Countries Get Their Energy From – Energy Mix
We’ve done a separate guide about the energy mixes of the major countries in the world.
You can compare China’s energy mix to the energy mix’s of other countries.
Energy Sources Used Just For Electricity Generation In China
Separate to total energy consumption is primary energy sources used specifically for electricity generation.
However, the trend is similar here – coal provides the vast majority of energy for China’s electricity production
From chinapower.csis.org:
Roughly 72 percent of the electrical power generated in China in 2015 came from coal-powered plants
The wikipedia.org resource in the sources list provides a thorough breakdown on China’s electricity sector as a whole.
China’s Installed Energy Capacity
Installed energy capacity is the current capacity for each energy source when taking into consideration the generation capacity of installed/built plant and capital.
This makes it a different metric to total energy consumption or total electricity consumption.
Today, coal by far has the largest installed energy capacity in China
By 2040, some projection indicate that coal will still have the largest installed energy capacity in China, but, solar, wind and hydro are all projected to increase in installed energy capacity to follow behind coal as the energy sources with the largest installed energy capacity
It’s worth noting though that there are various factors that can impact end energy or electricity consumption, separate to installed energy capacity
Installed Capacity In 2016
In 2016, the installed capacity by technology of each energy source in China in Gigawatts was:
Coal – 945GW
Hydro – 332GW
Wind – 149GW
[And following after wind is solar at 77GW, Gas at 67GW, Nuclear at 34GW, Bioenergy at 12GW, and Oil at 9GW]
– iea.org
Installed Capacity Forecast For 2040
From iea.org:
[In 2040, the installed capacity by technology of each energy source in China in Gigawatts is forecast to be:]
Coal – 1087GW
Solar – 738GW
Wind – 593GW
Hydro – 493GW
[And following hydro is Gas at 219GW, Nuclear at 145GW, Bioenergy at 49GW, and Oil at 0GW]
Power From Installed Energy Capacity Isn’t Always Consumed By The End Consumer
There’s various factors that can prevent energy from the installed energy capacity being consumed by the end consumer.
Some of these factors may include but aren’t limited to:
Power being lost before it gets into the grid because of inadequate integration of the installed capacity
Power plants not being used all the time
Plus other factors
iea.org provides an example that illustrates this in China:
[Today …] some 15% of China’s wind and solar PV generation is being curtailed because it cannot be accommodated by the existing power system
… a major investment in new power transmission lines [could ease these problems though]
China’s Recent Energy Trends
Energy Production & Electricity Consumption
iea.org has several graphs that show that (paraphrased) both energy production and final electricity consumption have consistently been increasing in China from 1990 up until 2018.
Energy Sources/Energy Mix
chinapower.csis.org shows an energy consumption graph that shows that (paraphrased), from 1990 to 2019, and as a % share:
– Coal consumption has been decreasing
– Oil use is largely the same, but has slightly increased
– Both natural gas use, and renewables and ‘other’ energy source use, are slightly increasing
Coal obviously still makes up majority of the energy share though
Forecasts For China’s Energy Future
Forecasts for a country’s future in the energy sector can be speculative, and may not be considered definitive.
However, our summary of various forecasts and projections of China’s energy related future might be:
By 2030, non fossil fuels as a % share energy consumption could increase, along with coal’s % decreasing. But, absolute coal consumption could still increase
By 2040 to 2050, several projections indicate that energy generation and energy share from coal will significantly decrease, and renewables will significantly increase. Several reports indicate that natural gas could increase too
In particular, solar and wind are two renewable energy sources that could see their % share of energy use increase
Energy demand might continue to increase into the future, but it might be slowed by various factors across Chinese society too – we list those factors below
chinapower.csis.org’s report is a worthwhile read about China’s energy sector in the present day, and what some future considerations might be
Energy Consumption By 2030
From energy.gov:
The Chinese government set a target to raise non fossil fuel energy consumption to … 20% by 2030 …
In addition, China is currently increasing its use of natural gas to replace some coal and oil as a cleaner burning fossil fuel …
… higher energy efficiency and China’s goal to increase environmental sustainability are likely to lead to a decrease in coal’s share [in China’s energy mix]
[But, absolute coal consumption will still increase]
Energy Generation By 2040
From chinapower.csis.org:
Over the last decade, China’s investment in renewable energy and natural gas has surged.
China is becoming the largest market in the world for renewable energy.
It is estimated that 1 in every 4 gigawatts of global renewable energy will be generated by China through 2040.
Energy Share By 2040
From iea.org:
[It’s expected] China’s growing energy needs are increasingly met by renewables, natural gas and electricity while coal demand falls back.
… the share of coal in total generation falls from two-thirds today to less than 40% in 2040 as a result
Primary Energy Share By 2050
From eneken.ieej.or.jp:
[One forecast of the future primary energy mix indicates that the different energy sources grow or decline in the following ways:]
Non fossil fuels to grow to 25.5% by 2035, and 35% by 2050
Coal will steadily decline to 42.5% by 2035, and 33% by 2050
Gas will steadily increase to 15% by 2035 by 2035, and 17% by 2050
Oil will steadily decrease to 17% by 2035, and 15% by 2050
General Energy Demand
From iea.org:
It’s expected China’s energy demand will continue into the future
But, the New Policies Scenario is expected to slow average energy demand – this is due to structural shifts in the economy, strong energy efficiency policies and demographic changes
Other Information On Forecasts
Further forecasts and projections on China’s energy future can be found in the dbs.com, nextbigfuture.com, and cleantechnica.com reports in the sources list
Renewable Energy In China – Present & Future
Present
Our paraphrased points from both wikipedia.org and chinapower.csis.org about China and renewable energy in the present day are that China is:
– The world’s largest renewable energy producer
– The largest producer of hydroelectricity, solar power and wind power in the world
The wikipedia.org reports in the sources list at the bottom of this guide have some more information on the present day share of each renewable energy source as a % of the overall energy mix in China.
The iea.org resource also shows (paraphrased) how renewable energy electricity consumption has grown from 1990 to 2018 for hydro, solar and wind.
Future
As we mentioned in the section above, renewable energy’s % share of energy consumption is expected to increase into the years 2040 and 2050.
Solar and wind might be the two renewable energy sources that increase the most.
The Chinese government may have previously indicated that they intend to keep investing in renewable energy, which may add some credibility to this projection
chinapower.csis.org indicates that (paraphrased) there could be some challenges in growing the solar market in the future in China for various reasons, such as oversaturation of the market, and trade disputes with the US.
We’ve also previously written about some of China’s potential challenges in moving away from coal to other energy sources like renewables in a separate guide.
China’s Investment In Electric Cars
China may be one of the countries that has invested the most in electric vehicles
What this may mean is that, in terms of energy share %, China has to increase energy consumption for electricity production and decrease energy consumption for traditional petroleum based transport fuels
China’s cumulative share of global investment in electric vehicles is at 46% at present … (iea.org)
Heating Energy
Aside from electricity generation and energy for transport, heating and cooling is one of the other main uses for energy across society.
We will come back and update this section when we have more information on heating and cooling energy in China
Sources
1. https://www.iea.org/weo/china/
2. https://china.lbl.gov/sites/default/files/misc/ced-9-2017-final.pdf
3. https://www.worlddata.info/asia/china/energy-consumption.php
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_China
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_of_China
6. https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/04/f30/China_International_Analysis_US.pdf
7. https://chinapower.csis.org/energy-footprint/
8. https://www.understandchinaenergy.org/
9. https://eneken.ieej.or.jp/data/8192.pdf
10. https://www.dbs.com/aics/templatedata/article/generic/data/en/GR/082018/180820_insights_2030_energy_mix_marching_towards_a_cleaner_future.xml
11. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/04/china-2020-and-2030-enegy-plans.html
12. https://cleantechnica.com/2018/09/27/china-proposes-75-increase-to-2030-renewable-energy-target/
13. https://knoema.com/atlas/China/Primary-energy-consumption
14. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics?country=CHINAREG&fuel=Energy%20consumption&indicator=TotElecCons
15. https://chinapower.csis.org/energy-footprint/
