Solar and wind projects under construction in China have twice the capacity of all renewable energy projects in the world combined: Report

Solar panels at the construction site of a photo-thermal power plant in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, China, January 23, 2024. Zhou Xingliang / VCG via Getty Images

Why you can trust us

Founded in 2005 in Ohio as an environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing high-quality, evidence-based content about environmental problems, their causes and solutions.

Renewable energy projects are expanding rapidly in China, with twice as many renewable energy projects underway in the country as all other countries combined, according to a new study by non-governmental organization Global Energy Monitor.

China currently has 180 gigawatts of utility-scale solar capacity and 159 gigawatts of wind capacity under construction, the analysis found. By comparison, the U.S. currently has 40 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity under construction, Brazil with 13 gigawatts, the U.K. with 10 gigawatts and Spain with 9 gigawatts.

According to the report, China is currently building industrial-scale solar and wind power plants, accounting for almost two-thirds of all solar and wind power plants built worldwide.

The report follows a prediction from the China Electricity Council (CEC) in early 2024 that solar and wind capacity would surpass coal capacity in China this year. Solar and wind capacity in China could account for about 40% of the country’s installed power capacity by the end of 2024, while coal could account for about 37%, according to the CEC report.

Currently, wind and solar make up about 37% of total generating capacity, while coal makes up about 39%. The analysis showed that the share of wind and solar in total generating capacity has increased by about 8% from 2022 to the present.

China’s rapid expansion of renewables comes as the country installed nearly twice as much utility-scale solar and wind capacity in 2023 compared with any other year, the Global Energy Monitor reported. From March 2023 to March 2024, the country installed more solar capacity than the solar capacity installed in the previous three years combined, while wind capacity doubled year-on-year.

While China is making important progress in renewables and solar and wind could soon overtake coal, a 2023 Greenpeace report found that the country is still building new coal projects. China approved more coal-fired capacity in the first three months of 2023 alone than in all of 2021, according to the Greenpeace report.

As reported by Global Energy Monitor, Chinese energy officials have expressed the view that the country’s energy-related emissions will not peak before 2030. However, Global Energy Monitor noted that China’s energy-related emissions could peak before that date, if they have not already done so. The organization cited Carbon Brief analysis that revealed a recent decline in China’s emissions in March 2024 due to the expansion of solar and wind power.

“China’s CO2 emissions could peak in 2023 if clean energy development continues at last year’s record levels,” Carbon Brief reports.

The Global Energy Monitor also found that China could triple its current renewable energy generating capacity if it continues to expand solar and wind capacity at the rate seen in 2023.

“Overall, 2023 will see unprecedented growth for wind and solar power in China,” the Global Energy Monitor concludes. “The unabated wave of construction ensures that China will continue to lead in wind and solar installations in the near future, far ahead of the rest of the world. However, China still needs to convert the massive growth of renewable energy into power generation, displace fossil fuels and reach a ‘tipping point’ to peak carbon dioxide emissions as early as possible.”

Sign up to receive exclusive information in our daily newsletter!