Chinese change to solar power

China has rapidly expanded solar power, but solar still supplies a modest share of its total electricity compared with coal.ember-energy+1​

Current solar share

China generated about 9% of its electricity from solar in 2024, up sharply from only a few percent earlier in the decade. Wind and solar together supplied around 18% of China’s power in 2024, double their share in 2020.climateenergyfinance+2​

Scale of recent build‑out

China added roughly 277 GW of new solar capacity in 2024 alone, bringing total solar capacity to around 880–890 GW by year‑end. Combined wind and solar capacity passed 1.4 TW in 2024, meaning these sources now make up well over a third of all Chinese power capacity, even though coal still dominates actual generation.globalenergymonitor+3​

Trend and future direction

Solar generation grew by over 40% in 2024 compared with 2023, on top of very rapid growth the year before. Recent analyses indicate that continued solar and wind additions are starting to meet most of the growth in electricity demand, which is a key step toward peaking and then reducing China’s CO₂ emissions.enerdata+3​

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