During the first six months of the year, China generated 560 terawatt-hours of solar power and 590 terawatt-hours of wind power, increases of 43 and 16 percent, respectively, writes the Chinese news site Sina.
At the same time, the demand for energy in the giant country is increasing, and new polluting coal power is also being built. However, it is expensive, and will not be used to the same extent; the share of solar and wind power in the electricity mix increased from 20 percent in the first half of 2024 to 23.4 percent this year.
"It is important that wind and solar production grew more than the total demand, i.e. that the entire increase in demand is covered by clean energy", notes Lauri Myllyvirta, China expert at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea), on X.
He expects the boom to continue at least for the rest of the year, since many players in the market want to achieve their goals before China's current five-year plan expires at the turn of the year.
China is leading a global expansion that continues even in years when countries like the USA have expressed skepticism about green energy. In 2005, solar and wind power accounted for only one percent of the world's electricity. By 2024, the share had increased to 15 percent, and next year it will reach 20 percent, according to forecasts from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
