China's combined installed wind and solar power capacity has surpassed 2 billion kilowatts, according to the latest data from the National Energy Administration covering the period through the end of September this year. Once dismissed as a supplementary power source that relied on favorable weather, renewable energy now sits at the very center of China's energy landscape. Over more than a decade, the country's new energy industry has achieved both a leap in scale and a qualitative breakthrough, cementing domestic supply security while offering a substantial "China answer" to the global energy transition.
Milestones on the road to scale
The Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of China was promulgated on February 28, 2005, and took effect on January 1, 2006, laying a legal foundation for the large-scale development of the wind and solar industries. The law was amended on December 26, 2009. By the end of 2010, China's installed wind power capacity ranked first in the world. By the end of 2015, its installed photovoltaic capacity had also claimed the global top spot. In May 2018, a notice on photovoltaic power generation matters (known as the "531 New Policy") was issued, explicitly accelerating the reduction of solar subsidies and lowering subsidy intensity. In 2019, pilot programs for grid-parity wind and solar power were launched. In 2021, it was clarified that new onshore wind and photovoltaic projects would no longer receive central government subsidies, fully achieving grid parity. In 2022, new offshore wind projects reached grid parity, freeing wind and solar power from dependence on fiscal subsidies. On September 22, 2020, China proposed that carbon dioxide emissions should peak before 2030 and that the country would strive to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. On December 12, 2020, China's quantified targets for its 2030 nationally determined contributions were announced, specifying that total installed wind and solar capacity would reach more than 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030. On September 24, 2025, China announced a new round of nationally determined contribution targets: by 2035, total installed wind and solar capacity should reach more than six times the 2020 level, with a goal of 3.6 billion kilowatts.
From desert bases to rural rooftops
At the end of 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration approved the launch of the first batch of "desert, gobi, and wasteland" new energy bases, laying out 50 bases across 18 provinces and regions. To date, relevant authorities have approved three batches of such bases. By the end of June 2023, China's installed renewable energy capacity historically overtook coal power. By the end of June 2024, the scale of installed new energy generation capacity exceeded coal power for the first time. In the first quarter of 2025, installed wind and photovoltaic capacity historically surpassed thermal power capacity. By the end of July 2026, installed photovoltaic capacity exceeded coal power for the first time, making solar the largest single power source by installed capacity. In March 2024, the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs jointly organized the "Wind Power for Thousands of Villages" initiative, making full use of wind resources and scattered idle non-arable land in rural areas to promote local and nearby wind power development. In 2025, the National Energy Administration organized the "Light for Thousands of Households" initiative, guiding rooftop photovoltaic development in rural areas with scientific layout, nearby grid connection, and local consumption, while protecting farmers' interests and preventing monopolistic development. On November 8, 2024, the Energy Law of the People's Republic of China was adopted and took effect on January 1, 2025, serving as a foundational and overarching law in the energy sector. In January 2025, a notice on deepening market-oriented reform of new energy on-grid tariffs and promoting high-quality new energy development (known as "Document No. 136") was released, pushing all new energy on-grid electricity into the power market, with prices formed through market transactions rather than the previous fixed subsidy model of guaranteed volume and price. This marked a shift from policy-driven to market-driven development and from scale expansion to value creation. In June 2026, measures for implementing the minimum renewable energy consumption target and the renewable energy power absorption responsibility weight system were issued, building a dual-driven framework of "rigid consumption-side obligations plus territorial absorption responsibilities," and for the first time including non-electric uses such as green hydrogen and green ammonia in absorption assessments, covering key energy-intensive industries such as electrolytic aluminum and data centers.
Riding the wind: from small turbines to global leadership
From the 1960s to 1985, China independently trial-produced small wind turbines in the hundred-watt and kilowatt range, mostly with fixed pitch and stall regulation. From 1986 to 2005, mainstream models relied on imports, with core components such as gearboxes, main controllers, and pitch systems controlled by foreign suppliers. Fixed-speed, fixed-pitch designs dominated, with a small number of variable-pitch models piloted. In 1986, the Shandong Rongcheng Malan Wind Power Plant was built and connected to the grid, opening the curtain on China's wind power development. In 1989, the Xinjiang Dabancheng Wind Farm was completed, becoming Asia's largest wind farm at the time. In 1990, Shandong University of Technology and Dahua Machinery Factory successfully developed a 55-kilowatt wind turbine. In 1999, Xinjiang Kegongmao completed development of the first domestically produced turbine, the S600, a technological breakthrough that won a National Science and Technology Progress Award, second class, in 2003. In 2005, a 1-megawatt unit with independent intellectual property rights was connected to the grid, marking China's entry into the megawatt era of wind power technology.
From 2006 to 2015, independent main controllers, pitch control systems, and composite blades were gradually localized. Doubly fed models became mainstream onshore. Low-wind-speed models were developed, with longer blades and tall towers unlocking low-wind resources in central and southern China. In November 2007, China's first offshore wind project was built and began generating power in the Suizhong oilfield in the Bohai Sea, installing one 1.5-megawatt turbine and achieving multiple independent innovations. In September 2010, a 32-megawatt intertidal test wind farm was completed and put into operation, achieving a global first in intertidal wind power. From 2016 to 2020, onshore wind saw 3-megawatt and 4-megawatt models mature. Large rotors, tall towers, intelligent control, condition monitoring, and predictive maintenance became widespread. Customized models for ultra-high altitude, severe cold, and desert-gobi-wasteland environments continued to iterate. Offshore wind: fixed foundation technologies such as monopiles and jackets matured. Flexible DC transmission technology achieved breakthroughs, solving the bottleneck of long-distance offshore wind transmission. 5-megawatt turbines entered batch application, and the 10-megawatt era began. From 2021 to the present, the full industrial chain has become independently controllable, with larger units, floating platforms, and intelligence advancing in parallel. Onshore wind: large-capacity onshore models, plateau low-temperature resistance, desert dust resistance, and complex mountain turbulence adaptation technologies have matured; digital wind farms, AI power forecasting, and cluster cooperative control are widely used. Nearshore fixed offshore wind: 14-megawatt, 16-megawatt, 18-megawatt, 20-megawatt, and 26-megawatt ultra-large units have rolled off production lines, been hoisted, and connected to the grid; ultra-long carbon fiber blades, lightweight complete machines, and typhoon-resistant designs have become standard, with a domestic content rate above 90%. Deep-sea floating wind: semi-submersible floating platforms, wind-wave-current coupled simulation, mooring systems, and dedicated floating control algorithms have achieved breakthroughs; floating demonstration units such as Three Gorges Leading and Qihang have been deployed, suitable for water depths of more than 50 meters and capable of withstanding super typhoons.
Embracing the sun: from early silicon cells to the largest power source
From the 1960s to 1985, early solar development centered on monocrystalline silicon cells with relatively low efficiency. Inverters and controllers were rudimentary. All systems operated off-grid independently with battery storage. In 1958, China developed its first silicon single crystal, and early cells were mainly used for space satellites. In the late 1980s, multiple production lines were introduced, raising capacity to about 4.5 megawatts. In 1983, China's first 10-kilowatt solar photovoltaic power station was built in Yuzhong, Gansu. From 1986 to 2012, the focus was on introducing foreign production lines, while domestic efforts centered on cell and module packaging and manufacturing. Traditional aluminum back surface field (BSF) cells were mainstream. In December 2006, the National "863" Program's key project on solar thermal power generation technology and system demonstration was officially launched. In 2004, polysilicon reduction furnace technology was mastered. In 2009, the state began implementing the "Golden Sun Demonstration Project." Concentrated solar power: in October 2005, China's first solar thermal power test system, "Dongfang No. 1," was completed鈥攁 70-kilowatt tower-type solar thermal power test system covering a heliostat field, high-temperature receiver, and gas turbine generator set. In 2012, a 1-megawatt tower plant generated electricity.
From 2013 to 2017, polysilicon technology achieved independent mass production, breaking overseas monopolies; core equipment for wafer cutting, texturing, and diffusion was gradually localized. The monocrystalline route rose rapidly. PERC cell technology was introduced and matured, becoming mainstream for onshore photovoltaic power, continuously raising conversion efficiency and lowering the levelized cost of electricity. Leader base construction promoted the deployment of high-efficiency modules, advanced inverters, and tracking支架 technology; centralized ground-mounted stations and rooftop distributed photovoltaic systems advanced simultaneously. Concentrated solar power: in 2013, the 10-megawatt Delingha project in Qinghai was connected to the grid, achieving commercial operation. From 2018 to 2020, large-size wafers, bifacial modules, tracking支架, smart inverters, and string inverters became widely used; composite scenarios such as agrivoltaics, fishery-photovoltaic integration, and photovoltaic desert control took shape, and photovoltaic power forecasting, intelligent monitoring, and digital operation and maintenance systems gradually matured, with absorption capacity continuing to improve. Photovoltaic power generation: in 2018, PERC, TOPCon, and other technologies were industrialized on a large scale. Concentrated solar power: in 2018, projects such as the 50-megawatt parabolic trough plant in Delingha and the 100-megawatt molten salt tower plant in Dunhuang were connected to the grid. From 2021 to the present, the full industrial chain has become independently controllable, N-type cells have become the new mainline, scenarios have continued to expand, and photovoltaics has risen to become China's largest power source.
Technology frontiers and the road ahead
Battery technology iteration: industrialization of N-type high-efficiency cells such as TOPCon, HJT, and BC is accelerating, with laboratory conversion efficiencies repeatedly setting world records; wafers continue to move toward larger sizes and thinner thicknesses. Scenario technology expansion: large-scale desert-gobi-wasteland wind and solar bases, floating water photovoltaics, mountain photovoltaics, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and high-altitude photovoltaics have made breakthroughs on multiple fronts; photovoltaic-plus-storage and solar-hydrogen coupling are being rapidly demonstrated. System and grid technology: virtual power plants, photovoltaic-storage coordination, grid-connected stability control, and DC collection and transmission technologies continue to mature, adapting to the new power system. Photovoltaic power generation: in 2026, HIBC crystalline silicon cell efficiency reached 28.29%, approaching the theoretical limit; crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem cell efficiency exceeded 35.5%.
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