China leads the charge: Beijing develops two-thirds of global wind and solar projects

According to research, China has roughly twice as much wind and solar power under development as the rest of the world combined.

China is building 180 GW of utility-scale solar power and 159 GW of wind power, according to research released on Thursday (Jul 11) by NGO Global Energy Monitor (GEM). This raises the total amount of wind and solar power under development to 339GW;far more than the 40GW under construction in the United States.

Only solar farms that feed directly into the grid and have a capacity of 20 MW or more were examined by the researchers. Given that over 40 per centof China's solar capacity is made up of small-scale solar farms, the country's overall solar power output might be significantly greater.

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The results highlight Beijing's dominant position in the world's production of renewable energy at a time when Washington'sconcerns about Chinese overcapacity and dumping, notably in the solar sector, are growing.

With significant support from the government, China has seen a growth in renewable energy in recent years.

China’s PresidentXi Jinping has emphasised the need for “new quality productive forces,” a term that indicates a desire to shift Beijing’s economy toward innovation and technology. The promotion of green manufacturing is one of the "new quality productive forces," according to Xi.

The GEM experts discovered that, in the three years between March 2023 and March 2024, China installed more solar than the entire globe did for 2023. The country is expected to surpass the government's plan by six years, with 1,200 GW of installed wind and solar power by the end of 2024.

“The unabated wave of construction guarantees that China will continue leading in wind and solar installation shortly, far ahead of the rest of the world,” the report said.

Analysts have warned that for China to meet its objective of reducing the carbon intensity of its economy by 18 per cent— a critical step towards cutting emissions — even more renewable power would be needed. Carbon intensity measures the grams of carbon dioxidereleased per kilowatt hour of electricity produced.

China’s power grid still heavily depends on coal, which officials consider essential to address the intermittency of renewable energy. Additionally, officials often view the coal industry as a reliable means to boost local GDP figures, even though clean energy sectors are now the primary driver of China’s economic growth, contributing to 40 per centof GDP expansion in 2023.

(With inputs from agencies)