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Almost three-quarters of all solar and wind power projects being built globally are in China, says a new report that highlights the country’s rapid expansion of renewable energy sources.
China is building 510 gigawatts of utility-scale solar and wind projects, according to data from the Global Energy Monitor, a non-governmental organisation based in San Francisco.
That compares to about 689GW under construction globally, GEM said. A rough rule of thumb is that a gigawatt can potentially supply electricity for about one million homes.
“China is [ . . .] leading the world in global renewable energy build-out,” the GEM report said. “It continues to add solar and wind power at a record pace.”
China’s expansion of clean energy sources is important for efforts to fight climate change, given the country’s dominant role in global manufacturing.
China is responsible for about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, but is finalising details of new climate change targets which it says it will announce before this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil.
It is continuing to develop new coal-fired power plants. Last year China started building the highest number of new coal power stations in a decade, according to previous GEM research.
But it has also been making a push on renewables, partly to bolster energy security and reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports.
China is expected to add at least 246.5GW of solar and 97.7GW of wind this year, according to figures from the GEM report. The country had 1.5 terawatts of solar and wind power capacity up and running as of the end of March.
Solar and wind accounted for 22.5 per cent of China’s total electricity consumption in the first quarter of 2025, according to the government’s National Energy Administration.
Clean energy drove a quarter of the country’s economic growth last year, according to analysis of government statistics by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
The growth of electric cars and trains in China also means that a growing share of its energy is provided through electricity. Some in the energy industry say it is becoming the world’s first “electrostate”.
Offshore wind accounts for about 28GW of the renewable energy capacity under construction, which GEM said could help decarbonise industrial hubs and megacities along the coasts.
“Though offshore wind represents only a fraction of China’s total wind power capacity, it is gaining traction as coastal provinces pursue ambitious decarbonisation targets,” the report added.