The Race to the Top in Six Charts and Not Too Many Numbers

This executive summary, based on the report 'X-Change: The Race to the Top', analyzes the global competition between China, Europe, and the United States to lead the energy transition. It highlights China's current dominance in cleantech manufacturing, innovation, and electrification, while noting that the United States and Europe are beginning to increase their investments to catch up.

• China currently leads the United States and Europe in cleantech innovation and manufacturing. Over the last five years, China's spending on cleantech was 10 times that of the US and Europe combined, resulting in a manufacturing share of 90 percent for solar and 70 percent for batteries. Additionally, China's share of global clean energy patents rose from approximately 5 percent in 2000 to over 75 percent.
• China is deploying clean technologies faster than other regions. In 2023 alone, China's additions to solar capacity and its sales of electric vehicles exceeded the total amounts the United States has achieved over the previous 30 years.
• China has established itself as the first major 'electrostate' by electrifying its end-use sectors at a rate of 10 percentage points per decade, a pace not matched by Europe or the United States.
• While China currently leads, the energy transition is in its early stages. Only 20 percent of energy is electrified, 20 percent of car sales are electric, and 40 percent of electricity is clean. Sectors such as cement, steel, and aviation remain open for disruption.
• The United States and Europe are attempting to catch up through initiatives like RepowerEU and the Inflation Reduction Act. Investment in cleantech supply chains in these two regions is projected to grow 16-fold in 2025 compared to 2022 levels.

APA

RMI (2024). The Race to the Top in Six Charts and Not Too Many Numbers. https://rmi.org/resources/the-race-to-the-top-in-six-charts-and-not-too-many-numbers/

Chicago

RMI. The Race to the Top in Six Charts and Not Too Many Numbers. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/the-race-to-the-top-in-six-charts-and-not-too-many-numbers/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=The Race to the Top in Six Charts and Not Too Many Numbers |date=1 July 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/the-race-to-the-top-in-six-charts-and-not-too-many-numbers/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024race, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{The Race to the Top in Six Charts and Not Too Many Numbers}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/the-race-to-the-top-in-six-charts-and-not-too-many-numbers/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }