Powering China’s New Era of Green Electrification

China has surpassed its 2030 wind and solar capacity targets six years early, with clean electricity meeting 84.2% of additional demand in 2024. However, the report argues that the 'more renewables, more coal' era is ending and the next phase requires a shift from adding capacity to engineering a 'megasystem' involving smart grids, long-duration storage, and industrial electrification. While the 'new three' sectors (solar, batteries, EVs) have driven GDP, they face saturation and competition, making the development of next-generation technologies essential for sustaining China's 'growing by greening' economic strategy.

• China achieved its 2030 target for combined solar and wind capacity six years ahead of schedule, reaching over 1,400 GW by the end of 2024.
• Clean electricity is increasingly dominating new demand growth; in 2024, it met 84.2% of the 6.8% increase in electricity demand.
• The share of coal in China's electricity generation has seen a steady long-term decline, falling from nearly 80% in the mid-2000s to 54.8% in 2024.
• Further decarbonisation requires a paradigm shift toward a 'megasystem' including AI-powered smart grids, long-duration energy storage, advanced heating for heavy industry, and carbon removal technologies.
• Investment in emerging clean energy solutions declined by 23% in 2024, as over 90% of global energy transition investments—including China's nearly 40% share—flowed into mature sectors like EVs and solar.
• The 'new three' sectors (solar panels, batteries, and EVs) contributed approximately 13.6 trillion RMB ($1.9 trillion) to economic output in 2024, but they now face 'involution' (intense internal competition) and demand saturation.
• The 'new economy' sectors, which include high-tech and clean energy, accounted for more than 18% of China's GDP in 2024, increasing from 17.25% in 2021.

APA

Yang, M., Shi, X., & Yang, B. (2025). Powering China’s New Era of Green Electrification. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/05/Report-Powering-Chinas-New-Era-of-Green-Electrification-PDF.pdf

Chicago

Yang, Muyi, Xunpeng Shi, and Biqing Yang. Powering China’s New Era of Green Electrification. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/05/Report-Powering-Chinas-New-Era-of-Green-Electrification-PDF.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yang |first1=Muyi |last2=Shi |first2=Xunpeng |last3=Yang |first3=Biqing |title=Powering China’s New Era of Green Electrification |publisher=Ember |date=14 May 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/05/Report-Powering-Chinas-New-Era-of-Green-Electrification-PDF.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yang2025powering, author = {Yang, Muyi and Shi, Xunpeng and Yang, Biqing}, title = {{Powering China’s New Era of Green Electrification}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/05/Report-Powering-Chinas-New-Era-of-Green-Electrification-PDF.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }