An international forum took place in east China's Anhui Province on Tuesday to discuss the opportunity of renewable energy against the backdrop of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The third Forum of International Finance and Advanced Technology of Renewable Energy, held in Hefei, capital of Anhui, was attended by some 200 government officials, experts and entrepreneurs from 11 countries.
"The COVID-19 pandemic brought the issue of sustainability front and center," said Awaidha Murshed Ali Al Marar, chairman of Abu Dhabi's Department of Energy.
"As countries around the world instituted lockdowns and restrictions on movement, prompting people to spend most of their time at home, demand for energy and water in households skyrocketed. This underlined the need to find more sustainable sources to supply this energy and to increase renewable energy's share of the energy mix," said the official.
It is urgent for countries worldwide to revive the economy while fighting the pandemic, and the major economies have prioritized the development of renewable energy when launching economic recovery plans, said Zhai Dongsheng from the National Development and Reform Commission.
China is striving to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. It also aims to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25 percent and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts.
Editor: Galia
