#Rui-Ma on #energy in #China: “China: Electricity generation jumped from roughly ~5.6 PWh (2015) to ~10.1 PWh (2024), which is +80% in less than a decade. And 2024 alone grew ~7%, accounting for ~HALF of the world’s increase. China now produces ~1/3 of global electricity. That’s what “supply went up a lot” looks like, so yeah even if coal as a % of total went down, the total will still increase but the increase is QUICKLY PLATEAUING (...) Multiple independent analyses now show China’s CO₂ fell year‑on‑year across the last 12 months (and in Q1’25), driven by the clean‑power surge rather than an economic slump.”
on 02025-08-27#Rui-Ma’s account of her trip to #China to go to the World #AI Conference (#WAIC) and see investors and renewable #energy. “We met with companies ranging from Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT) to unicorns, as well as young startups founded less than a year ago. (...) Energy is considered a solved problem. The Chinese government’s investment in sustainable energy — from advanced hydropower to next-generation nuclear — means that, relative to many other markets, electricity supply is secure and inexpensive. Everywhere we went, people treated energy availability as a given. This is a stark contrast to the U.S., where AI growth is increasingly tied to debates over data center power consumption and grid limitations.”
on 02025-08-27“#AI experts [#Rui-Ma] return from #China stunned: The U.S. grid is so weak, the race may already be over. (...) In the U.S., surging AI demand is colliding with a fragile power grid, the kind of extreme bottleneck that Goldman Sachs warns could severely choke the industry’s growth.
In China, Ma continued, it’s considered a “solved problem.”” because “China has an oversupply of electricty [sic]”. “In China, renewables are framed as a cornerstone of the economy because they make sense economically and strategically, not because they carry moral weight. Coal use isn’t cast as a sign of villainy, as it would be among some circles in the U.S. It’s simply seen as outdated.” #energy #USA
on 02025-08-27