BUSINESS

China’s Wind and Solar Power Capacity Has More Than Tripled Since 2020

Published: Aug. 28, 2025 7:41 p.m. GMT+8

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Wind-solar complementary power plant in Chengde, Hebei province. Photo: Xinhua

China’s wind and solar power capacity has more than tripled since the end of 2020, moving the country closer to hitting its carbon goals but creating huge challenges in ensuring green electricity is actually used.

The country’s total installed capacity of wind and solar power hit 1,680 gigawatts (GW) at the end of July, up from 530 GW at the end of 2020, Li Chuangjun, director of new energy and renewable energy at the National Energy Administration (NEA), said at a Tuesday news briefing.

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China’s wind and solar capacity reached 1,680 GW by July 2024, tripling since 2020 and comprising almost 80% of new installations.
Non-fossil energy accounts for 60.8% of total power capacity but only 19.8% of consumption as of last year.
Major challenges include integrating green power into the grid; green electricity trading grew 50% year-on-year in the first five months of 2024.

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What Happened When

End of 2020：: China’s total installed capacity of wind and solar power was 530 GW.

2024：: Non-fossil energy accounted for 19.8% of total energy consumption in China.

First five months of 2025：: China’s green electricity trading volume reached more than 220 billion kilowatt-hours, up about 50% year-on-year.

First half of 2025：: China’s wind and solar farms generated 1.15 million gigawatt-hours of electricity, nearly one-quarter of total national power demand.

As of July 2025：: Installed capacity of non-fossil energy power (including wind, solar, nuclear, hydropower) reached 2,230 GW, accounting for 60.8% of total installed power capacity in China.