Sustainable Solutions: How China Is Rewriting the Energy Playbook
- Timothy Beggans
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
For the first time, China’s wind and solar power capacity has overtaken its thermal (coal and gas) capacity—reaching 1,482 GW as of March 2025.
👉 (Reuters) This milestone, achieved six years ahead of its 2030 pledge, signals a global shift in energy leadership and highlights China’s unmatched scale in renewable energy deployment.
👉 (TIME) It’s no longer just a race to build—China is setting the pace.
But the road to sustainability is uneven. In Q1 2025, renewables made up over 52% of installed capacity, yet produced only 22.5% of total electricity due to grid limitations and fossil-fuel prioritization. And despite clean energy gains, China approved 66.7 GW of new coal plants last year—an energy security hedge that risks prolonging carbon emissions.
At the same time, international trade tensions are reshaping the clean tech landscape. Tariff hikes have curbed exports of Chinese solar panels, pushing production inward. The result: a domestic solar boom that’s accelerating China’s transition, cutting costs, and deepening energy self-reliance.
With billions pouring into offshore wind, green hydrogen, ultra-high-voltage transmission, and storage infrastructure, China is building more than capacity—it's building resilience.
🌏 The world’s top emitter is also its top renewable investor. Whether these paths converge or collide will define the next phase of global decarbonization.
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