Summary

Yunnan ranked seventh among the 15 Chinese provinces with a score of 1.20 on Climatescope 2014, performing best in the Greenhouse Gas Management Parameter IV. The province performed the best in carbon offsets and corporate awareness.

Yunnan is located in southwest China. Its 2013 GDP was $193.6bn. As part of national measures to develop economies in central and western China, Yunnan also enjoys lower business income taxes than those in developed regions. Small hydropower is the main source of renewable power in Yunnan.

In 2013, Yunnan received $1.98bn in clean energy investments, out of a cumulative $9.84bn from 2006 -2013. The wind sector received the largest amount of clean energy investments in Yunnan. Yunnan hosts most of China’s small hydropower projects, with an efficient capacity factor of 43.4%. Yunnan’s installed renewable energy capacity is 11.75GW.

The commissioning of the second UHV transmission line from Yunnan to Guangdong supports more energy transfers derived from Yunnan’s vast clean energy sources, to the eastern coastal provinces of China with high power demands. Between the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, the commissioned 13.9 GW Xiluodu Dam hydropower station in 2013 also serves to meet the power demands of the region. Wind capacity in Yunnan has almost tripled, due to increased investments in this sector from 2010.

In 2013, Yunnan sourced 17.5% of its electricity needs from small hydropower alone, out of a total of 174.8TWh. Renewables add a substantial mix to Yunnan’s power generation, providing 19.4% of power for 2013 (and 24.5% of installed capacity).

Large hydropower in Yunnan still contributes to the majority of power generation, with 53.4% for 2013.