China is now the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide, the most important global warming pollutant. However, new findings suggest wind farms could potentially eliminate much if not all of China’s carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector for the foreseeable future. Demand for electricity in China is increasing at a rate of about 10 percent per year. At the same time, coal accounts for roughly 80 percent of total electricity production. This suggests that China’s emissions of carbon dioxide could grow accordingly. For example, the equivalent of 800 gigawatts of coal-fired power plants are needed to meet the rising Chinese demand for electricity anticipated by 2030. This could add as much as 3.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, compared to current annual Chinese emissions of 6.6 billion tons. Wind is currently only a minor contributor to China’s energy needs, with an installed capacity of 12.2 gigawatts at the end of 2008, or just 0.4 percent of its total electricity supply. However, China is now the world’s fastest growing market for wind power, with an annual growth rate of more than 50 percent over the past decade. ‘The world is struggling with the […]