China is expected to install 280 gigawatts (GW) of new wind and solar capacity in 2025, driven by the rapid rollout of desert-based mega renewable projects, integrated hydro-wind-solar energy hubs, expansion into deep-sea offshore wind, and the accelerating spread of distributed energy systems across cities and rural areas.
Source: Economic Information Daily
China is expected to install 280 gigawatts (GW) of new wind and solar capacity in 2025, driven by the rapid rollout of desert-based mega renewable projects, integrated hydro-wind-solar energy hubs, expansion into deep-sea offshore wind, and the accelerating spread of distributed energy systems across cities and rural areas. The projection comes from the 2024 Annual Report on China’s Renewable Energy Development, published by the China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute.
With 2025 marking a critical juncture in China’s push to peak carbon emissions, the report underscores the country’s firm commitment to scaling up renewables as it lays the groundwork for a new energy system and modernized power grid. Key estimates for 2025 include:
· Around 5 GW of newly commissioned conventional hydropower, with a further 9 GW of large-scale projects approved;
· About 8 GW of new pumped-storage hydropower coming online, and another 40–50 GW likely to be approved;
· Over 80 GW of new grid-connected wind capacity;
· 200 GW of new grid-connected solar capacity.
But as deployment speeds up, the report notes that constraints are mounting. Land and marine space for large-scale projects is becoming scarce, grid integration is once again a concern, and the economic returns on investment are increasingly uncertain.
In response, industry leaders are calling for a more integrated development strategy—one that aligns infrastructure, policy, and market design with the unique dynamics of renewable generation. That includes advancing institutional reforms, improving regulatory frameworks for distributed solar and pumped storage, pushing ahead with market-based electricity pricing, and building a power market better equipped to handle variable and decentralized energy flows.
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