China is setting unprecedented records in solar and wind energy installations, achieving monumental growth in May 2025. During this month, the country added 93 gigawatts of solar capacity and 26 gigawatts of wind capacity, reflecting a staggering pace of infrastructure development—almost 100 solar panels and 5,300 wind turbines installed every second and ten minutes, respectively. These achievements have led to a cumulative solar capacity of 1.08 terawatts, representing half of the global total. Experts suggest that despite this rapid increase, a slowdown is anticipated later in the year, though the surge demonstrates the potential of the renewable energy sector.
In May 2025 alone, China added 93 gigawatts of solar capacity, which translates to nearly 100 new solar panels per second, alongside 26 gigawatts of wind capacity, amounting to about 5,300 newly installed wind turbines. According to Lauri Myllyvirta, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, this averages out to one turbine installed every 10 minutes. The total solar capacity added from January to May 2025 reached nearly 198 gigawatts, marking a remarkable 388% increase from the same period in 2024, a year when China had already set a record for renewable power installations for the second consecutive year. Additionally, during this timeframe, wind energy capacity increased by 46 gigawatts.
Significantly, May 2025 also saw more investments directed towards solar and wind energy over coal for the first time in China. By the end of May, information from the National Energy Administration revealed that the nation’s cumulative solar capacity reached a staggering 1.08 terawatts, which is approximately half of the world’s total installed solar capacity. Myllyvirta stated that the new solar and wind capacity added in May could generate as much electricity as the combined output of several regions, including Poland, Sweden, Norway, the UAE, North Carolina and Maryland, or Washington state and Wyoming. He expressed surprise at the pace of China’s renewable energy expansion on social media, highlighting the astonishing figures.
The surge in installation activity can be largely attributed to the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector and optimism about profitability, along with a rush to complete projects before a June deadline that would change tariffs for new renewable power plants. Despite the record renewables figures in early 2025, experts suggest that there may be a slowdown in new installations later in the year. Cautious clean energy forecasts indicate that while this massive wave of capacity additions is impressive, it will likely be followed by a period of reduced activity. However, Myllyvirta pointed out that clean energy generation would continue to rise due to the substantial capacity already established.
Notably, China, which is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, recorded a decline in carbon emissions for the first time in May 2025, even against the backdrop of increasing energy demand. This decline in emissions coincides with the remarkable growth in renewable energy capacity, suggesting that the country may be moving closer to its goal of peaking emissions by 2030. Myllyvirta posited that this could be one of the year’s most significant climate stories, as for the first time, reductions in emissions are being driven by a growth in clean energy rather than a decrease in power demand.