to the electricity grid. In recent years renewable energy developers have rushed to rapidly build wind farms, solar panels, and other power plants, which hasn't been synchronised with the time-consuming procurement of land permits to build grid connection. It takes more than twice as long to obtain the necessary permits and approval for the construction of high-voltage transmission lines and other grid connections as it does to obtain the permits and begin construction of power plants, creating a significant time lag. During this time lag, a great deal of renewable energy is produced but then wasted as it isn't connected to the grid. In the past couple years the rapid building of renewable energy power plants has had little impact on actual renewable energy use as a result. Furthermore, even when connections have been built sometimes the grid still can't absorb all of the electricity produced because the connections have voltage limits below what is being produced by many of China's renewable energy power plants, a phenomenon called curtailment. This issue of grid connection is especially true in regard to long-distance transmission of electricity. Most of China's wind and solar energy sources, and thus its renewable energy power plants, are located in the northwest of the country, while the highest electricity demand is in the southeast. However, there are limited high capacity transmission lines capable of transmitting the necessary amounts of electricity across that distance, leading to curtailments in the northwest and a need for fossil fuels in the southeast. The development of more long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines is necessary to maximising the use of the renewable energy that is being produced. Broader infrastructure initiatives like this can ensure the efficacy of renewable energy policy in China. See also China Wind power in China Solar power in China Geothermal power in China Bioenergy in China List of power stations in China List of offshore wind farms in China Automotive industry in China Climate change in China Electric vehicle industry in China Energy policy of China Pollution in China Three Gorges Dam Global Renewable energy in Asia International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) World energy resources and consumption Renewable energy commercialisation The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century(REN21) Hydrogen economy Global warming Greenhouse effect Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Renewable energy legislation and incentives Sustainable energy Renewable energy by country Notes References External links China Renewable Energy Society China Renewable