Data shows that China will install a record amount of renewable energy by 2024
China installed a record amount of renewable energy last year, data from the National Energy Administration (NEA) showed on Tuesday.
The country is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that scientists say are driving global warming and climate change.
Beijing has committed to peaking CO2 emissions by 2030 and reducing them to zero by 2060.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, added about 277 gigawatts (GW) of solar power last year, up from the 217 GW added last year, the NEA said in a statement.
The country also expanded its wind power by almost 80 GW, the data showed, a slight increase from the almost 76 GW added in 2023.
The total installed solar and wind energy capacity was approximately 887 GW and 521 GW respectively.
President Xi Jinping set a target in 2020 of at least 1,200 GW of solar and wind energy installed by 2030.
China surpassed that target last year, nearly six years ahead of schedule, NEA data showed in August.
The country has also built almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined, according to research published in July.
According to the International Energy Agency, Beijing invested more than $50 billion in new solar energy capacity between 2011 and 2022.
The solar industry has also benefited from access to cheap raw materials, readily available capital from state-owned banks and vast technical manpower.
China remains heavily dependent on coal, despite installing renewable energy capacity at a record pace.
But there are signs that the country may be turning away from fossil fuels.
Coal energy permits fell 83 percent in the first half of last year, and no new coal-fired production projects were approved in the same period.
