China is spearheading a monumental shift towards renewable energy, installing the wind and solar equivalent of five large nuclear power stations every week. This rapid pace of clean energy adoption is putting China on track to meet its end-of-2030 renewable energy targets by the end of this month, far ahead of schedule.

In stark contrast, Australia lags behind in its renewable energy goals. While debates about nuclear power and slow progress on solar and wind installations persist, China is fully embracing renewables.

A recent report from Sydney-based think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) highlights China’s impressive progress. China is adding at least 10 gigawatts of wind and solar generation capacity every fortnight. By comparison, the Coalition's plan to build seven nuclear power plants in Australia would contribute fewer than 10GW of generation capacity by sometime after 2035.

Energy experts now look to China, once labeled a climate villain, for lessons on rapid decarbonization. Tim Buckley, director of CEF, points out that while the US under President Biden has committed substantial funds to clean energy, China's response has been to double down and accelerate its efforts.

John Grimes, CEO of the Smart Energy Council, recently attended a Shanghai energy conference and noted that China has almost decarbonized its grid as quickly as Australia, despite the significantly larger scale of its energy demand. China’s commitment is underscored by clear targets and a coordinated governmental effort to achieve them.

China, responsible for about a third of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, has seen a recent drop in emissions—the first since relaxing COVID-19 restrictions. This, coupled with the greening of its power grid, suggests that the country’s emissions may have peaked.

The rapid installation of renewable infrastructure is facilitated by the construction of the world's largest solar and wind farms in western regions like the Gobi Desert. These are connected to the populous eastern cities via the world's longest high-voltage transmission lines, akin to powering homes in Sydney with solar panels from Perth.

China's approach involves the creation of renewable energy zones, similar to Australia but on a much larger scale. To stabilize the supply of power from these zones, China is deploying a mix of pumped hydro and battery storage at an impressive rate, outpacing Australia’s efforts significantly.

Interestingly, China is also building new coal-fired power stations alongside its renewable zones to maintain a steady electricity supply. This paradoxical strategy ensures stability as the nation rapidly transitions to renewable energy, though the share of coal in the overall energy mix is decreasing.

Despite China's significant progress, experts like CEF’s Xuyang Dong caution that the current rate of renewable installation is still not ambitious enough to meet the 2060 carbon neutrality target. Meanwhile, nuclear power, once poised to dominate China's energy landscape, has taken a backseat to solar and wind due to safety concerns and the rapid decline in the cost of solar power.

China’s ability to execute long-term, challenging, and expensive transition plans offers valuable lessons for other countries. As Australia struggles with slow planning approvals and market-reliant strategies, China’s decisive action and government coordination are driving its success.

In summary, China’s relentless push towards renewable energy serves as a blueprint for the world. Despite challenges, the nation’s commitment to a sustainable future is clear, and its rapid progress is setting a new standard for global clean energy transitions.