China, the world’s largest pollution emitter, is going green with clean energy alternatives and doing so quickly. Recent energy reports detail the nation’s commitment to implementing solar and wind power, so much so that it is expected to achieve its 2030 clean energy targets by the end of the month.
As we’ve previously reported, renewable energy saw record growth in 2023 and continues to trend upward. China, the most populous nation in the world and, as a result, its largest CO2 polluter, has taken encouraging steps to go green, especially as its infrastructure relies more heavily on energy with its steadfast transition to BEVs and charging.
According to a Global Wind Report 2024 released by the Global Wind Energy Council this past April, China set a new record with 75 GW of new installations commissioned, contributing to nearly 65% of the global total.
Just last month, China installed a massive 18 MW offshore wind turbine, the world’s largest by power rating, further contributing to its clean energy transition. Other countries haven taken notice of these efforts, including Germany, which will install Chinese-built wind turbines at an offshore wind farm of its own.
In addition to wind power, China has fully embraced solar as an alternative source of clean energy. In June, it activated a 3.5-gigawatt, 33,000-acre solar farm outside Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital – the largest of its kind in the world. Not to be outdone, China announced plans for a behemoth 8 MW solar farm in the works as part of an $11 billion integrated energy project led by state-owned power company China Three Gorges Renewables Group.
Those efforts are paying off, as recent energy reports show that China is literally years ahead of schedule in reaching its decade-end clean energy targets. Take notes, everyone.
China’s clean energy installations continue to grow
According to a July 2, 2024 report from Climate Energy Finance (CEF), China is on track to achieve its target of 1,200 GW in wind and solar installations this month. The original timeline to achieve this green energy goal was 2030, so China is an impressive six years ahead of schedule and is showing no signs of slowing down.
China installed 103.5 GW of clean energy capacity in the first five months of 2024, while its thermal energy additions declined by 45% year over year. This indicates a transition from coal and nuclear power to cleaner alternatives while still meeting growing demand on its local electrical grids.
As it was in 2023, solar power remains the nation’s leader in capacity additions, having installed 79.2 GW between January and May 2024 and accounting for 68% of its total new capacity. That number is already up 29% year over year and continues to trend upward.
Wind was China’s second most installed form of new energy, reaching a total of 19.8 GW of fresh capacity so far in 2024 accounting for 17% of the total new additions. Wind power installations are up 21% YoY and like solar, show continued growth from a record 2023.
Per CEF, China’s total installed wind and solar capacity reached 1,152 GW at the end of May 2024 and based on its current pace, should surpass its 2030 goal of 1,200 GW sometime this month.
While China is quickly becoming a global leader in clean energy adoption, it still has some work to do. The nation still relies heavily on coal-fired power plants and will need to retire those facilities in favor of more sustainable options in order to truly offset its CO2 emissions.
Judging by its efforts in the last year especially, China appears to be doing so, but should by no means slow down on clean energy adoption. Push the goalposts and keep the momentum going.