BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 13. China’s total
renewable energy capacity significantly accelerated in recent
years, with annual expansion ranging from 24.2% to 25.7% in the
period between 2023 and 2025.
Data obtained by Trend from the International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA) shows, that that this compares with a more moderate average
growth of 13.6% observed during the 2021-2022 period.
The following figures show the total energy generation from
renewable sources in China:
| Year | Capacity | Growth |
| 2025 | 2,258,016 | +24.2% |
| 2024 | 1,817,956 | +25,1% |
| 2023 | 1,453,701 | +25.7 |
| 2022 | 1,156,126 | +13.6% |
| 2021 | 1,017,852 | +13.6% |
The acceleration in China’s renewable energy expansion in recent
years has been driven by a combination of structural and policy
factors. According to international analyses, the clean energy
sector has become a major engine of economic growth in China,
accounting for a significant share of investment expansion in
2024-2025, which has directly supported rapid capacity
additions.
At the same time, China recorded a surge in the deployment of
renewable energy projects, particularly solar and wind, with
hundreds of gigawatts of new capacity added annually in 2023-2025.
This rapid build-up reflects the commissioning of previously
delayed projects, as well as the scale-up of large utility projects
following disruptions in earlier years and improved supply chain
conditions.
In addition, continued declines in technology costs, especially
in solar photovoltaics, have made renewable energy increasingly
competitive with conventional generation sources, encouraging
faster investment decisions and project implementation. These
trends have been reinforced by national policy priorities aimed at
accelerating the development of a new power system and ensuring
progress toward long-term decarbonization targets.
