New Energy
World Energy Crisis Would Be Worse Without China’s Rainy Season
- Hydro is still the nation’s biggest carbon-free power resource
- Rains have helped suppress fossil fuel usage and cut imports
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As bad as the world’s energy crisis has been this year, it would been much worse without a wetter-than-usual start to China’s rainy season.
While heavy downpours in southern China have been a public safety crisis, closing schools and causing fatalities, they’ve also led to reduced air-conditioning demand and surging hydropower generation. Both have lessened the need for fossil fuels, allowing the world’s biggest coal and gas importer to cut purchases and leave more supply for other energy-starved nations.