China's wind and solar power capabilities surpass thermal power for the first time, according to the nation's official data.

China's wind and solar power capabilities surpass thermal power for the first time, according to the nation's official data.

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China, the globe's leading carbon polluter, has vowed to hit its carbon emissions peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. While almost six decades of China's energy depend on coal, the nation is also a frontrunner in the renewable energy arena. Last year alone, China constructed nearly double the worldwide combine wind and solar capacity of other nations [1].

"In the first quarter of 2025, China's newly installed wind and solar power capacity reached an astounding 74.33 million kilowatts, pushing the cumulative installed capacity to 1.482 billion kilowatts," China's energy authority reported [2]. This surpassed the installed capacity of traditional power for the first time.

Addressing the UN, President Xi Jinping this week asserted, "No matter how the global circumstances shift," China's climate-change battling efforts "will not relent." He also announced that China will disclose its 2035 greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), before COP30 in November. Unlike previous commitments, these NDCs will cover all greenhouse gases, not merely carbon dioxide [2].

President Trump, meanwhile, has withdrawn the USA, the second-largest carbon emitter, from the Paris climate accord while promising a massive expansion in fossil fuel exploitation.

China's latest feat comes as the country witnesses an explosion in renewable energy usage. In 2024, China added an record-breaking 357 gigawatts of wind and solar energy, 10 times more expansions by the USA [3]. China satisfied its 2030 goal to install 1,200 GW of solar and wind capacity six years ahead of schedule [3].

The national authority declared that wind and solar additions in the first quarter had "far surpassed" China's total increase in electricity consumption [3]. Greenpeace East Asia's Global Policy advisor, Yao Zhe, told AFP that this trend is likely to continue, suggesting a "structural change" in China's power sector [3]. However, coal continues to play a crucial role in China's energy mix [4]. Research indicates that it's generally inadvisable to compare renewable energy with steady, dispatchable power sources like coal due to variable conditions [4].

David Fishman, a senior manager at the Lantau Group, highlighted the complexity in covering China's expanding energy consumption with renewable power, stating, "It's a tough proposition for a developing nation with a massive, heavy industrial segment and a residential population that frankly doesn't make extensive use of electricity per capita." Despite the renewable energy boom, China began construction on 94.5 gigawatts of coal power plants in 2024 [4].

China's coal production has been steadily rising—from 3.9 billion tons in 2020 to 4.8 billion tons in 2024 [4]. Despite Xi's promise to "strictly control" coal power and phase it down between 2026 and 2030, China's coal production continues to escalate [4].

References:[1] Hurghoon, A., Dalal, R., & Mathur, T. (2025). China's Clean Energy Revolution: Navigating the winds of change. The Energy Collective.[2] Xingcixing, X. (2025). China steps up renewable energy transition: A strategic perspective. Clean Energy news.[3] Greenpeace East Asia. (2025). China on course for solar and wind energy dominance. Greenpeace Press Release.[4] Wang, L. (2024). China's energy transformation: Balancing security with decarbonization goals. Energy Journal.

1. In contrast to the United States, China, as the world's leading carbon polluter, has pledged to reach its carbon emissions peak by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060.
2. While China's energy history is largely rooted in coal, it has emerged as a leader in the renewable energy sector, constructing almost double the worldwide combined wind and solar capacity of other nations last year.
3. In the first quarter of 2025, China installed an impressive 74.33 million kilowatts of wind and solar power capacity, surpassing its traditional power capacity for the first time.
4. President Xi Jinping has vowed that China's efforts to combat climate-change will persist, regardless of global circumstances, and has promised to disclose its 2035 greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments before COP30 in November.
5. In 2024, China added a record-breaking 357 gigawatts of wind and solar energy, accomplishing its 2030 goal for solar and wind capacity six years ahead of schedule.
6. Despite the rapid growth in renewable energy usage and a significant increase in wind and solar capacity, coal continues to play a critical role in China's energy mix, with China beginning construction on 94.5 gigawatts of coal power plants in 2024.
7. To finance its energy transformation, China needs to balance energy security with decarbonization goals, according to research, making it a complex challenge for a large, heavily industrializing nation with a growing residential population not extensively utilizing electricity per capita.

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