BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 13. China’s total renewable energy capacity significantly accelerated in recent years, with annual expansion ranging from 24.2% to 25.7% in the period between 2023 and 2025.
Data obtained by Trend from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows, that that this compares with a more moderate average growth of 13.6% observed during the 2021-2022 period.
The following figures show the total energy generation from renewable sources in China:
| Year | Capacity | Growth |
| 2025 | 2,258,016 | +24.2% |
| 2024 | 1,817,956 | +25,1% |
| 2023 | 1,453,701 | +25.7 |
| 2022 | 1,156,126 | +13.6% |
| 2021 | 1,017,852 | +13.6% |
The acceleration in China’s renewable energy expansion in recent years has been driven by a combination of structural and policy factors. According to international analyses, the clean energy sector has become a major engine of economic growth in China, accounting for a significant share of investment expansion in 2024-2025, which has directly supported rapid capacity additions.
At the same time, China recorded a surge in the deployment of renewable energy projects, particularly solar and wind, with hundreds of gigawatts of new capacity added annually in 2023-2025. This rapid build-up reflects the commissioning of previously delayed projects, as well as the scale-up of large utility projects following disruptions in earlier years and improved supply chain conditions.
In addition, continued declines in technology costs, especially in solar photovoltaics, have made renewable energy increasingly competitive with conventional generation sources, encouraging faster investment decisions and project implementation. These trends have been reinforced by national policy priorities aimed at accelerating the development of a new power system and ensuring progress toward long-term decarbonization targets.