(Yicai Global) July 27 -- Green energy’s share of the total consumed in China will increase at an average annual rate of 1 percentage point over the next eight years, according to the National Energy Administration, helping the country reach its targets for peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

Non-fossil energy’s share of China’s overall energy use rose 0.7 point to 16.6 percent last year, Zhang Jianhua, director of the NEA, said at a press conference today.

China’s green energy development has not slowed amid tight global energy supplies. Last year, installed renewable energy capacity, including hydro, wind, and solar, rose by about 130 million kilowatts to 1.1 billion kilowatts, according to Zhang. Annual power production from green energy sources reached 2.5 trillion kilowatt-hours, accounting for about 30 percent of all electricity used in the country.

China has also built the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network, with 3.9 million charging piles completed as of June this year, and it is expected to meet the charging needs of over 20 million electric vehicles by 2025, Zhang added.

Thanks to the low-carbon transformation in China’s energy structure, energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product has fallen 20 percent since 2014, supporting 6.2 percent of national economic growth with an average annual increase of 2.9 percent, Zhang said.

Editor: Tom Litting