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China Installed More Solar Panels Last Year Than the U.S. Has in Total (www.ecowatch.com)
submitted 9 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
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China Installed More Solar Panels Last Year Than the U.S. Has in Total::China installed more new solar capacity last year than the total amount ever installed in any other country.

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[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 125 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Currently seeing the US climate narrative shift from "why should we stop burning fossils and get our shit together when China won't? >:(" to "why should we stop burning fossils and get our shit together when Senegal won't? >:(" Can't wait for 20 years from now when we're balls deep in climate disasters, Senegal gets its shit together, and the US narrative moves to ~~honduras~~ ~~El Salvador~~ ~~Uganda~~ comparing itself to the Philippines.

Holy crap you guys, it turns out that the narrative that the developing world is going to burn an ass-ton of fossil fuels is a lot weaker than I thought. It looks like there's a fuckton of equatorial and global south countries with renewables/hydro power, Honduras is even adding Geothermal. God damn it, USA, get off your ass and fix your shit already.

[–] rusticus@lemm.ee 37 points 9 months ago (4 children)

We've moved from 17% to 40% of total energy production coming from renewables since 2020. Thanks to Biden policies. Even though according to reddit he's an incontinent dementia patient.

[–] pedalmore@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Source? I haven't seen final numbers for 2023 from EIA yet, but 2022 was like 22%. The growth is accelerating as economics change, and in large part the IRA (thanks Biden), but it's not 40%. I'm speaking of electricity production, but I can't think of a reasonable metric that's anywhere near 40% nationally. Let's try to stick to reality here.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_the_United_States

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[–] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Same with EVs. After BYD became the largest EV manufacturer, suddenly EV is not cool anymore. Maybe if car manufacturers focus on making EV affordable instead of cramming more and more luxury features, maybe EV sales in US won't dwindle.

[–] TheIllustrativeMan@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago (3 children)

The anti-EV sentiment has been building much longer than BYD becoming the big boy on the block. About 8 months ago my state passed the equivalent of about a $100 per gallon tax on EV charging.

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[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 10 points 9 months ago (2 children)

China needs a fuckload of power, they are building more of everything including coal. The only reason they aren't building more coal is people like seeing out their windows.

The US is actually winding down coal use. China is still expanding, this is a problem. The fact China also added a ton of solar panels is a nice distraction.

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 13 points 9 months ago (8 children)

I seem to have been working on old info, as China has decommissioned 70 GW of coal plants, but it looks like they also just approved a whole lot more of them.

From Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/chinas-coal-country-full-steam-ahead-with-new-power-plants-despite-climate-2023-11-30/#:~:text=After%202025%2C%20it%20is%20unclear,and%20are%20phasing%20out%20plants.

In the third quarter of this year, however, China permitted more new coal plants than in all of 2021, according to Greenpeace, even as most countries have stopped building new coal-fired power and are phasing out plants.

Well, shit.

Anyway, I'm glad for the solar and nuclear capacity (LOTS of it!) that China's been building. I'm glad to hear that we are spinning down coal capacity, but I'd be interested to learn what we're replacing it with. It seems like natural gas is all the rage these days, and that still produces GHG emissions.

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[–] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 6 points 9 months ago

I'm not so sure about that. China is about to ramp up solar even more. They build a lot of solar and battery-related factories and secured mining rights for solar and battery raw elements in Asia and Africa in the past few years, sometimes to the point of fighting with the displaced locals (China tend to bring their own workers from mainland instead of employing local workers).

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[–] Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net 34 points 9 months ago

Good for them

[–] Altofaltception@lemmy.world 34 points 9 months ago (5 children)

There's a reason the US is targeting China from various fronts (trade restrictions, sanctions, etc.). China is a powerhouse and the US is terrified of being left behind.

[–] sir_reginald@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I don't get why you're getting dowvoted. I guess there are a lot of Americans over here. But your statement is absolutely true. The US attempts at restricting China's access to various technologies only make sense if they feel threatened by them.

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[–] psychothumbs@lemmy.world 32 points 9 months ago

Fantastic. Remember guys, we're all on the same side on this one. This should be a signal for the US to get its ass in gear to do the same, but it's not like China expanding its renewable energy capacity is anything but great for everyone.

[–] NickwithaC@lemmy.world 29 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Good news for one of the planet's most polluting countries.

[–] Nesola@lemmy.world 59 points 9 months ago (9 children)

That is producing for the rest of the world and especially for the west. It’s hypocritical to blame china while buying stuff that had to be cheaper and cheaper.

[–] Rampsquatch@sh.itjust.works 19 points 9 months ago (6 children)

The average consumer doesn't actually have a choice in the matter. Unless you are wealthy enough to purchase only local artisan made goods near everything you can afford is made in China or made in China adjacent.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 30 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

That's not really the point. The point is their emissions will be higher because they're producing all the stuff everyone else purchases. The production is what creates pollution. If they stopped producing then other countries would and they would increase their pollution.

It's not saying don't buy products from China. It's saying China polluted because things are bought from them. The pollution would be wherever production is taking place.

[–] Nesola@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

That is exactly my point. Thanks for elaborating it!

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[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 25 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Only way many western countries were able to slow their rise in CO2 emissions. Despite outsourcing their emissions to China, the US still emits twice the CO2 per capita compared with China.

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[–] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 9 months ago (2 children)

And why are they one of the most polluting countries?

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[–] EmergMemeHologram@startrek.website 27 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Oh my God, that's awful!

I hope the US responds by installing more solar panels this year than China ever has!

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Let's install solar panels on the moon! That'll fucking show them. Beam the energy back to earth with giant fucking microwave dishes. Ohhh that would really piss off them damn reds

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 19 points 9 months ago (13 children)

Good. I assume it helps that most of the world's solar panel manufacturing is based in China.

The rest of the world should be ramping up production, not relying on China for cheap labour.

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[–] ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 10 points 9 months ago

Well, someone has to make use of renewable energy I guess lol

[–] simonced@lemmy.one 8 points 9 months ago (4 children)

But they still have their crazy mines that polute right? No number of solar pannel will change anything if you don't stop what you are doing that polutes.
Same for all countries btw...

[–] banneryear1868@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago (2 children)

China pollutes so much because the biggest consumer economy in the world deindustrialized and outsourced manufacturing to them.

[–] 52fighters@sopuli.xyz 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (7 children)

China pollutes so much because George HW Bush and Bill Clinton pushed American jobs to China so CEOs could make bank on huge profits on cheap labor, unsafe work places, and near zero environmental regulation that was impossible in the United States. We built China by disregarding worker rights and the environment and we are paying for it dearly.

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[–] Fades@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You can thank conservatives for that. They are beholden to fossil fuel interests so they attack everything else whether it be solar energy or ev

[–] Tristaniopsis@aussie.zone 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

“JESUS WOULDN’TVE INSTALLED SOLAR PANELS!!11!1!1

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[–] Skkorm@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

China's govt has been trying to make their country as self sustaining as possible, this is part of that initiative. No one can tell you shit if you're don't rely on anyone for external things.

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[–] PanArab@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (15 children)

The rise of China is democratizing access to technology. My home government, supposedly a longtime partner of the US even doing its dirty work in Yemen, has struggled for years to get any tech transfer deal with the US, too many hoops to jump through. But were able to get many tech transfers from China recently. It was a major win and that technology includes solar panel manufacturing.

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[–] Spazz@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 9 months ago

We'd have more if these right wing assholes would get onboard. You know they're assholes because they're attacking China in the comments rather than acknowledging this awesome milestone

[–] kawa@reddeet.com 6 points 9 months ago (6 children)

And opened more coal plants too lol, don't be quick in praising the CCP, there's always something shady in the background...

[–] frezik@midwest.social 7 points 9 months ago

China's CO2 output is expected to fall in the coming year, and for structural reasons, stay that way for years to come.

https://energyandcleanair.org/analysis-chinas-emissions-set-to-fall-in-2024-after-record-growth-in-clean-energy/

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago (25 children)

And systematically genociding their minorities too. Let's never forget that.

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[–] frippa@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 months ago

China is doing something good: here's why it's bad.

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[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

BuT At wHaT CoSt

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