China's lead in the global solar race - at a glance

China is projected to lead the world in solar capacity by a margin of over 100% by 2024, with estimated installations reaching 370 GWdc. Despite being the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide and maintaining a heavy reliance on coal—which held approximately 60% of installed capacity in 2016—China is the largest clean energy investor globally. While it continues to fund coal plants abroad and maintain nuclear investments, its growth in renewables is expected to establish it as a 'renewable energy superpower' with significant competitive advantages in clean energy technology manufacturing.

• China is expected to significantly outpace the United States in solar capacity, with Wood Mackenzie estimating that China's photovoltaic panel installations will reach a cumulative total of 370 GWdc by 2024, which is more than double the capacity of the US at that time.
• Despite its leadership in clean energy investment and the presence of the world's largest solar farm in the Tengger Desert, China's energy mix remained dominated by coal in 2016, with coal accounting for about 60% of installed capacity compared to approximately 5% for solar.
• China's expansion of renewable energy is projected to increase its energy independence and position it as a global 'renewable energy superpower', providing a competitive advantage in the manufacture of clean energy technology.

APA

Edmond, C. (2019). China's lead in the global solar race - at a glance. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/chinas-lead-in-the-global-solar-race-at-a-glance/

Chicago

Edmond, Charlotte. China's lead in the global solar race - at a glance. World Economic Forum, 2019. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/chinas-lead-in-the-global-solar-race-at-a-glance/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Edmond |first1=Charlotte |title=China's lead in the global solar race - at a glance |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=19 June 2019 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/chinas-lead-in-the-global-solar-race-at-a-glance/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{edmond2019chinas, author = {Edmond, Charlotte}, title = {{China's lead in the global solar race - at a glance}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/chinas-lead-in-the-global-solar-race-at-a-glance/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }