China boasts world's largest renewable energy system: report
Wind turbines spin in the mountains in Yuexi County, east China's Anhui Province, September 5, 2026. /VCG
China has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, according to a report released on Saturday by the China Enterprise Reform and Development Society (CERDS).
The report found that fossil fuel-related activities remain the largest source of global carbon emissions. Global energy-related CO2 emissions rose 0.4% year on year to 38.4 billion tonnes in 2025, marking the smallest annual increase since 2021. China's energy-related carbon emissions fell by 0.5%, while those of the United States rose by 2.4%, making the US the largest contributor to the global increase.
A view of a large-scale solar power base in the desert in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, September 14, 2025. /VCG
Coal-fired power generation accounted for 49.7% of China's total electricity generation in the first half of 2026, falling below 50% for the first time. According to Peng Huagang, president of CERDS, coal power is gradually shifting from a dominant source of electricity to a supporting source that ensures power supply security and provides flexibility to the grid.
Wind turbines and solar panels at a renewable energy base in Karamay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, October 10, 2025. /VCG
By the end of 2025, global installed renewable energy capacity had reached 5,149 gigawatts, up 15.5% year on year. Renewables accounted for 33.8% of global electricity generation, surpassing coal's 33.0% share for the first time in a century. In China, installed renewable energy capacity stood at 2.337 billion kilowatts at the end of 2025, accounting for 60.1% of the country's total installed power generation capacity. China also contributed 63.6% of global additions to renewable energy capacity.
A cargo ship is docked to load large wind power equipment for export to Türkiye in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, October 21, 2026. /VCG
China's energy investment is projected to reach $940 billion in 2026, the highest in the world.
The report also highlighted China's leading role in renewable energy technologies. China supplies 70% of the world's wind power equipment and 80% of its solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, helping drive down global wind and solar power generation costs by more than 60% and 80%, respectively.