China leads on renewables, but gas is power mainstay

China remained the dominant global investor in renewable energy, including hydropower, in 2015, according to the Renewables 2016 Global Status Report. The report, published in early June by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) said China accounted for more than one-third of global investment in renewables and more than half of that in hydropower in 2015.

China and the United States signed a Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change earlier this year that highlighted new domestic policy commitments involving renewables and energy efficiency, and that set out a common vision for implementing the COP21 climate agreement. This will be achieved partly by a switch in the power sector from coal to gas, nuclear and renewables, including hydroelectricity.