On September 7, 2026, the People's Daily published a report stating that the "15th Five Year Plan for Carbon Peak Action" issued by the State Council specifies that the total installed capacity of wind and solar power generation will reach over 2.8 billion kilowatts by 2030. From 1.84 billion kilowatts by the end of 2025 to 2.8 billion kilowatts, there will be an additional approximately 1 billion kilowatts of wind and solar installed capacity over the next five years. This goal not only sets a development bottom line for the industry, but also reveals the deep proposition of the transformation of new energy from scale expansion to quality and efficiency.

The dual challenge of scale and efficiency

During the 15th Five Year Plan period, the annual target for newly added grid connected installed capacity is about 200 million kilowatts, which remains stable compared to the actual growth rate during the 14th Five Year Plan period. The Shage Wilderness Base in the Three North region plans to add more than 370 million kilowatts, and the distributed new energy plan in the central and southeastern parts plans to add more than 300 million kilowatts. However, the intermittent, random, and fluctuating characteristics of new energy generation have not yet formed an effective power substitute for traditional power sources. The average duration of electrochemical energy storage is only 2.53 hours, and the proportion of installed capacity under 2 hours is as high as 70%, which is difficult to meet the actual demand of 4 to 6 hours during peak hours. The ability of new energy to provide effective power generation output during peak hours is insufficient, wind power has insufficient guaranteed output capacity during summer load peaks, and photovoltaics have almost no output during evening peak hours.

System friendly power stations become the direction

In terms of increment, we need to accelerate the construction of system friendly new energy power stations, enhance the reliable output, active support, and collaborative regulation capabilities of new energy. In terms of inventory, we will combine the upgrading and renovation of old wind and solar power stations, and steadily improve the network related performance through renovation, expansion, and reasonable storage allocation. In terms of technology, we will increase the research and application of advanced technology and equipment, increase the proportion of long-term energy storage, and promote the large-scale verification of energy storage technology in complex scenarios such as high altitude. The National Energy Administration has made it clear that it will adhere to the principle of establishing first and then breaking down, and promote the establishment of reliable renewable energy, gradually achieving a safe and reliable replacement for traditional energy. Keywords: Social Review News Network, New Energy, Wind Power, Solar Energy

Non electric utilization opens up new consumption space

By 2030, the proportion of new energy generation installed capacity will exceed 50%, and it cannot be consumed solely through the power grid. At present, non electric utilization of renewable energy accounts for only about 1% of energy consumption, which has huge growth potential compared to decarbonization demand in key industries such as industrial transportation and construction. Through non electric utilization methods such as wind and solar hydrogen production and heating, not only can the pressure of power grid regulation be reduced, but also new scenarios and tracks can be provided for new energy. The National Energy Administration stated that it will actively expand the non electric utilization of renewable energy while leveraging the power grid's consumption capacity, and enhance the diversified on-site conversion and utilization capabilities. The achievement of the goal of wind and solar power installation requires finding a balance between scale expansion, system support, and consumption capacity, and promoting the transformation of energy from quantity to quality.Editor/Gao Xue