Round Table China Can China pass the winter energy test?
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Jan 29, 2026 A deep look at how China’s winter surge in heating and industry strains the power system. Contrasts between cold north centralized heating and fragmented southern solutions. Debates over shifting fuels from coal to gas and scaling renewable reliability. Ideas for using waste heat, geothermal pilots, smarter grids, long-distance transmission and vehicle-to-grid storage.
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Scale Makes China's Winter Test Global
- China must supply electricity and heating for nearly one-fifth of humanity across diverse climates, creating unmatched seasonal demand challenges.
- Managing that scale matters globally because failures would ripple through supply chains and markets.
Cities Heated By Giant Pipeline Networks
- Niu Honglin describes northern cities heated by vast centralized networks pumping hot water through thousands of kilometers of thermal pipelines.
- Southern cities lack such networks and often use community or individual heating solutions due to cost and efficiency concerns.
Fuel Shift Hinges On Infrastructure
- Northern urban heating has shifted from coal toward natural gas but requires extensive gas and thermal-pipe infrastructure to replace coal fully.
- Less-developed cities still rely on coal while newer energies remain in early deployment.