Some great news all around! While things could be better, China is now clearly leading the global transition to renewables. I'm happy that Chinese companies were able to build off European and...
China has installed more than half of the solar and wind generation capacity that has been installed globally over the past few years.
"The solar capacity that China installed last year is comparable to what the EU has overall," he said. "It's a staggering pace of growth."
Recent data from the UK-based energy think tank, Ember, shows that in April, wind and solar energy together generated more than a quarter of China's electricity for the first time.
Meanwhile, electricity generated from fossil fuels over the first four months of 2025 fell by 3.6% as compared with the same period last year.
. . .
Chinese companies currently lead the world in making green tech, including wind turbines and solar panels - accounting for some 60% and 80% of global output, respectively.
. . .
China's per capita emissions now exceed those of the UK and EU and are about the same as those of Japan.
Some great news all around! While things could be better, China is now clearly leading the global transition to renewables. I'm happy that Chinese companies were able to build off European and American solar research and massively drive down solar panel prices!
Now if only the west were showing the same speed or at least intention at building out renewables… We should (and probably could) have had the current pace 10+ years ago already.
Now if only the west were showing the same speed or at least intention at building out renewables… We should (and probably could) have had the current pace 10+ years ago already.
Sure, though if you look at article you can actually see that "the west" isn't as far behind as you seem to think they are. There are various comparisons throughout the article and one of the...
Sure, though if you look at article you can actually see that "the west" isn't as far behind as you seem to think they are.
There are various comparisons throughout the article and one of the graphs seems to indicate emissions have been declining for the EU since the 90s and the US since the 2000s.
Outside of the article you'll see that for many Western countries renewable energy generation by percentage is much higher as China's.
The exception there seems to be the US. So if by "the west" you mean the US, then sure I'll give you that one ;)
One other thing is that focusing on total capacity is misleading as it paints a much more favourable picture for bigger countries with more people even of the percentage is actually lower compared to a tiny country going 100% renewable.
There are a lot of things you can focus on, but in the end it is a complex picture.
I think growth matters more than status quo percentages with a topic like this, at its scale. Yeah, TBH I probably did. The EU commission’s 2030/2050 goals are pretty much set in stone, and at...
you'll see that for many Western countries renewable energy generation by percentage is much higher as China's.
I think growth matters more than status quo percentages with a topic like this, at its scale.
The exception there seems to be the US. So if by "the west" you mean the US, then sure I'll give you that one ;)
Yeah, TBH I probably did. The EU commission’s 2030/2050 goals are pretty much set in stone, and at least we’re still trying and not actively denying…
One other thing is that focusing on total capacity is misleading as it paints a much more favourable picture for bigger countries with more people even of the percentage is actually lower compared to a tiny country going 100% renewable.
Which is why PV growth in China is also more impressive than, say, growth in a Western European country with <50 million people.
If solar was this cheap 10 years ago, we'd be in a very different place! Europe and the US were cutting emissions even if it didn't make economic sense 10 years ago, so we have to give them some...
If solar was this cheap 10 years ago, we'd be in a very different place! Europe and the US were cutting emissions even if it didn't make economic sense 10 years ago, so we have to give them some credit.
France, Spain, and some US states have been particularly gung-ho about non-polluting power generation way before China switched for economic reasons.
Man, it feels odd to know that the laggards on this are really us North America, and we're doing everything to prove that everybody else is the bad guy. This anti-expertise thing is a terrible...
Man, it feels odd to know that the laggards on this are really us North America, and we're doing everything to prove that everybody else is the bad guy. This anti-expertise thing is a terrible look for us, and more than most else, I'm worried that it'll be our undoing.
Some great news all around! While things could be better, China is now clearly leading the global transition to renewables. I'm happy that Chinese companies were able to build off European and American solar research and massively drive down solar panel prices!
Now if only the west were showing the same speed or at least intention at building out renewables… We should (and probably could) have had the current pace 10+ years ago already.
Sure, though if you look at article you can actually see that "the west" isn't as far behind as you seem to think they are.
There are various comparisons throughout the article and one of the graphs seems to indicate emissions have been declining for the EU since the 90s and the US since the 2000s.
Outside of the article you'll see that for many Western countries renewable energy generation by percentage is much higher as China's.
The exception there seems to be the US. So if by "the west" you mean the US, then sure I'll give you that one ;)
One other thing is that focusing on total capacity is misleading as it paints a much more favourable picture for bigger countries with more people even of the percentage is actually lower compared to a tiny country going 100% renewable.
There are a lot of things you can focus on, but in the end it is a complex picture.
I think growth matters more than status quo percentages with a topic like this, at its scale.
Yeah, TBH I probably did. The EU commission’s 2030/2050 goals are pretty much set in stone, and at least we’re still trying and not actively denying…
Which is why PV growth in China is also more impressive than, say, growth in a Western European country with <50 million people.
Edit; Just saw this article: Solar is EU’s biggest power source for the first time ever (for June 2025) – cool stuff for sure.
If solar was this cheap 10 years ago, we'd be in a very different place! Europe and the US were cutting emissions even if it didn't make economic sense 10 years ago, so we have to give them some credit.
France, Spain, and some US states have been particularly gung-ho about non-polluting power generation way before China switched for economic reasons.
Man, it feels odd to know that the laggards on this are really us North America, and we're doing everything to prove that everybody else is the bad guy. This anti-expertise thing is a terrible look for us, and more than most else, I'm worried that it'll be our undoing.