China Hits a New Record in Its Production of Clean Energy

In 2020, with the addition of wind power, China has broken its previous record from 2017 for renewable energy installations. The country has more than doubled its capacity to produce clean energy.

“It was quite a surprise to see wind power installations of 48 gigawatts in December,” says Robin Xiao, an analyst with CMB International Securities Corp. “Solar installations also beat expectations, but on more realistic grounds. Against the backdrop of carbon-neutral development, I think the Chinese government will tend to adopt relatively relaxed standards to promote the sector’s development.”

In 2020, in wind power alone, China added 72 gigawatts. In solar power, we look at 48 gigawatts, and some 13 gigawatts in hydropower. In 2017, across all technologies, 83 gigawatts were produced. In September, President Xi Jinping announced that the country aims to be carbon-neutral by 2060.