China Installs 198 GW Solar, 46 GW Wind Jan-May 2025, Leads Global Renewables With 445 GW in 2024

China has set new global records in renewable energy capacity additions in 2024 and early 2025, particularly in solar and wind power. Between January and May 2025, China installed 198 gigawatts (GW) of solar power and 46 GW of wind capacity, an amount sufficient to generate as much electricity as entire countries such as Indonesia or Turkey. In May alone, China installed 93 GW of solar panels, which represents about 8% of the total electricity generated in the United States. The total installed solar capacity in China has now surpassed 1,000 GW.

In 2024, China added 445 GW of renewable power, accounting for 60% of all new global capacity, nearly double the renewable energy installed by the rest of the world combined. The country also installed 357 GW of wind and solar capacity in 2024, roughly equal to the total capacity the U.S. has installed over its entire history. China is recognized as the global leader in installed wind capacity, generating more than twice the wind electricity of the United States, with 997 terawatt-hours (TWh) produced in 2024, equivalent to about 22% of total U.S. electricity consumption. Additionally, China has achieved industrial-scale production of perovskite solar panels, a notable technological advancement. These developments underscore China’s rapid expansion in renewable energy infrastructure and its growing dominance in the global clean energy sector.