Data only include firms above a 39;designated size39; NBS
Electricity output growing faster than monthly NBS data shows Ember
Better data key for tracking progress on carbon reduction analyst

SINGAPOREBEIJING, Sept 20 Reuters Surging smallscale renewables generation is helping China address growing power demand and slashing the role of coal in the country39;s power mix, but Beijing39;s widely followed monthly data reports omit output from the fastgrowing sector.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics NBS, which publishes monthly bulletins on key economic indicators, only surveys industrial firms with at least 20 million yuan 2.84 million of annual revenue from their main operations.

For the renewables sector, that has resulted in the NBS leaving out a significant chunk of generation from smallscale sources powering residences, offices and industries, making it more difficult to gain insights into China39;s economy.

The data is also masking some of the progress by the world39;s top greenhouse gas emitter in reducing the share of coal in electricity generation.

Wellstructured monthly reporting on energy and electricity data will be key for China to track progress against its carbon goals, said Lauri Myllyvirta, senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

The NBS data shows China39;s power generation grew 6.4 in the first half of 2024. However, data from Londonbased energy think tank Ember, which calculates output from smallscale renewable energy…