Many wind and solar power plants in China are strangled amid global energy crisis: report
China is wasting large amounts of wind and solar power because its grid still prioritises coal, according to a CREA analysis.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
A new analysis says China is curtailing a lot of renewable electricity just as energy security is back in focus because of the Strait of Hormuz crisis. The report blames rigid coal-heavy grid management, not a lack of transmission infrastructure, and says the lost clean power could have covered demand equivalent to France.
China is building lots of wind and solar machines, but some of their power is getting thrown away because the electricity system still leans on coal. It is like having many full water buckets but using a small pipe that lets too little water through.
Analysis
What the report says
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air says China is wasting a significant amount of wind and solar electricity at a time when the Strait of Hormuz crisis has sharpened concern about energy security. In the group’s view, the problem is not a shortage of grid lines or other basic infrastructure. Instead, it is the way the power system is managed.
Coal still anchors the system
According to the analysis prepared for Carbon Brief, coal power plants and grids are still being run in a way that treats coal as the main stabilising force. That setup makes it harder for renewables to fully replace fossil fuels, even as China’s wind and solar fleet keeps expanding. The report says China’s electricity demand rose in the first quarter of the year, but the system did not fill that gap with clean power.
Security and climate collide
CREA argues that this curtailment leaves China more exposed if the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted, because it increases the need for other fuels such as coal and gas. The report also says the amount of wind and solar power being wasted is large enough that, if captured and used, it could generate electricity comparable to what France needs.
The story is less about a lack of renewable capacity and more about whether China’s power system can absorb it. That is the central tension: the country is building clean energy quickly, but its operating rules still appear to favour fossil fuel reliability over maximum renewable use.
Key points
- CREA says China is wasting large amounts of wind and solar electricity.
- The report blames inflexible grid management and coal-heavy operating rules, not a lack of grid infrastructure.
- China’s electricity demand rose in the first quarter, but the gap was not filled mainly by renewables.
- The analysis says curtailed clean power leaves China more exposed to disruption of the Strait of Hormuz.
- CREA says the wasted wind and solar could generate electricity equivalent to France’s needs.
If grid management becomes more flexible, more of China’s wind and solar power could be used instead of wasted. That would support both energy security and cleaner electricity without needing to slow down renewable expansion.
If coal remains the system’s main backup, curtailment could continue even as China adds more renewables. That would leave the country using more fossil fuels than necessary and weaken the climate benefits of its clean-energy buildout.
