Renewable Energy Development in China: Resource Assessment, Technology Status, and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential

China, which has pursued aggressive policies to encourage economic development, could experience the world's fastest growth in energy consumption over the next two decades. China has become the third largest energy user in the world since 1990 when primary energy consumption reached 960 million tons of coal equivalent (tce). Energy use is increasing at an annual rate of 6-7% despite severeinfrastructure and capital constraints on energy sector development. Energy consumption in China is heavily dominated by coal, fossil fuels provide up to 95% of all commercial energy use. Coal currently accounts for 77% of total primary energy use; oil, 16%; hydropower, 5%; and natural gas, 2%. Coal is expected to continue providing close to three-quarters of all enegy consumed, and the amont ofcoal used is expected to triple by year 2020.