Climate Change and Renewable Energy News and Discussion

GulfLander said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2046189639094919374

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More details on solar in particular.

SINGAPORE/BEIJING, April 22 (Reuters) - China's solar panel exports soared to a record in March, China customs ‌and industry data showed, as Southeast Asia and Africa stockpiled ahead of expected price increases and fallout from the

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boosted demand. Panel exports surged 42.2% to 1.75 million metric tons in March, equivalent to 13.3% of volumes in all of 2025. The shipments were valued at $3.61 billion, up 67% from a year earlier and 125% from February, Chinese customs data showed.

Southeast Asia's imports jumped 267% annually and 203% from February to $673.3 ⁠million in March, while Africa's March imports surged 238% annually and 211% from February to $438.28 million. Imports by the Philippines, which is targeting faster solar additions through 2030, nearly quadrupled from a year earlier to 109,513 tons valued at $228 million. In Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has one of the world's lowest ⁠rates of electrification, saw March shipments soaring to 21,370 tons worth $62.73 million from just 1,352 tons a year earlier.

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China’s electrochemical system converts coal into electricity with no direct carbon emission​

Chinese researchers have developed a coal-based fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical process rather than combustion.
By
Apr 26, 2026 07:35 AM EST


New coal fuel cell bypasses Carnot limits to boost efficiency potential.
Traditional coal-fired power generation is typically associated with high pollution levels, significant carbon emissions, and relatively low efficiency. However, a new approach to coal-based electricity production is challenging the long-standing perception by removing combustion from the process altogether.

Instead of burning coal, the system converts its chemical energy directly into electricity, avoiding the release of carbon dioxide that normally defines its environmental impact. The breakthrough comes from a research team led by Xie Heping of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at Shenzhen University, who have developed what they describe as a zero-carbon-emission direct coal fuel cell (ZC-DCFC).

The concept effectively reframes as an electrochemical energy source rather than a fuel to be burned, potentially opening a new pathway for cleaner utilization of fossil resources.

Coal fuel cell design removes need for steam cycle or combustion​

Rather than being burned, coal in this system undergoes a multi-step preparation process before it is used for electricity generation. It is first pulverized into a fine powder, then dried, purified, and treated at the surface to optimize its reactivity. The processed coal is subsequently introduced into the anode chamber of the fuel cell, while oxygen is supplied to the cathode side, the South China Morning Post .

Inside the cell, the coal particles are directly oxidized through an oxide membrane, producing an electrochemical reaction that generates electricity on the spot. Crucially, this approach eliminates the need for conventional power-generation stages such as production and mechanical turbines, which are typically central to coal-fired plants.

At the outlet of the anode, the carbon dioxide produced by the reaction is captured directly on-site and then either catalytically transformed into useful chemical feedstocks such as synthesis gas or chemically stabilized into compounds like sodium bicarbonate. This closed-loop handling of carbon contributes to a process that is described as both silent and clean in operation.

By contrast, conventional coal-fired power plants depend on combustion to generate heat, which is then used to produce steam that drives generators through a multi-stage energy conversion chain. That indirect pathway is fundamentally constrained by thermodynamic limits, particularly the Carnot efficiency ceiling associated with heat engines, which restricts how much of the fuel’s energy can be converted into usable electricity.

Breakthrough improves durability and power output limits​

The conventional coal power process is inherently constrained by the Carnot cycle, which limits thermal efficiency to roughly 40 percent, according to Xie. In contrast, he argues that the zero-carbon-emission direct coal fuel cell (ZC-DCFC) avoids the energy losses associated with combustion and heat-based engine systems, allowing for significantly higher theoretical efficiency.

Since 2018, Xie’s research group has gradually advanced the technology through successive iterations, addressing persistent challenges in materials science, cell durability, , and the ability to maintain continuous coal feed. Earlier versions of direct carbon fuel cells struggled with limited power density and short operational lifespans, issues that the latest design aims to overcome through incremental engineering improvements.

The latest version of the fuel cell, though, improves stack scalability, long-term stability, carbon conversion efficiency, and overall system integration, according to the research team.

Xie also noted that the concept could be applied to deep coal seams located about 1.2 miles underground. Instead of mining and transporting coal to the surface – a costly and complex process – the system could convert coal into electricity in situ, transmitting only power upward. In turn, this approach could help offset pressure on supply as shallow coal reserves gradually diminish.

Also reported by Chinadaily.com

CATL just signed a very large sodium-ion BESS agreement (60 GWh).



If CATL sodium-ion is this mature, I imagine they could dominate this area for at least a couple years before BYD catches up. China overall, should dominate battery storage for quite a number of years and export marketshare should be less politically charged than it is for cars.

largest floating wind turbine - 16MW is getting installed. Just huge platforms.

deepest ever pumped hydro ESS getting installed in Zhejiang and will supply 1.4GW of peak power from 4 generators.

First data center powered directly by renewables opened yesterday in Ningxia.

The project has a solar capacity of 500 megawatts – with a further 1.5 gigawatts of wind power planned by the end of the year – and is integrated to a cloud base in the city of Zhongwei, according to state broadcaster CCTV. It is designed to coordinate energy supply and computing capacity so that the data centre can shift tasks to where renewable power supplies are plentiful or when electricity is cheapest to reduce strains on the grid and cut costs and emissions. After the wind power element of the project is finished, it will generate 4.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to cutting carbon emissions by 3.65 million tonnes.

Jiang Debin, deputy director of the statistics and digital intelligence department at the China Electricity Council, told CCTV that electricity consumption by the country’s internet data service industry had been accelerating over the past five years, with an average annual growth rate of 36 per cent over that period. In the first quarter of this year, electricity consumption by the sector reached 22.9 billion kWh, up 44 per cent year on year. The sector now accounted for nearly 1 per cent of the country’s total electricity consumption, Jiang added.

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Major project here from Datang and Jiangsu to build energy base in Inner Mongolia and getting the energy transmitted

Much like solar, wind is expanding fast these days on the momentum of Middle East turmoil.

Last year, China installed three times as much wind power capacity as the rest of the world combined, even as its turbine exports jumped. The global industry’s center of gravity has shifted decisively: All of the world’s six largest wind turbine manufacturers are Chinese, displacing once-dominant European firms and companies like General Electric. The war has made China’s investments in wind look prescient. Its Asian neighbors, long reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas, are struggling to secure fuel supplies. Meanwhile, China, with its massive reserves and modern electric grid, is better positioned to weather the energy crisis.

China is ramping up wind equipment exports in a hurry, unnerving competitors in the West and India. Exports of wind turbines and components to the European Union jumped 66 percent last year, while shipments to developing countries in China’s Belt and Road Initiative climbed 74 percent.

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Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel: