Science Weekly Will China own the green energy future?
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Mar 5, 2026 
Amy Hawkins, Beijing-based senior China correspondent on policy and energy security. Jillian Ambrose, energy correspondent tracking renewables and markets. They discuss China’s massive solar and renewables expansion. They cover coal’s lingering role for stability and jobs. They examine grid limits, supply-chain dominance and geopolitical consequences.
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China's Staggering Renewable Scale
- China drives nearly 60% of annual global renewable capacity growth, with solar expanding over 21-fold in 10 years.
- Solar alone may exceed 1,000 GW in 2025–26, powering 100–130 million homes and dwarfing the UK's system.
Renewables Rise But Coal Still Dominates
- Renewable rollout is rapid, but coal still supplies the majority of electricity and China remains the largest emitter.
- Coal fell from ~70% to 58% of power in ten years and is expected to peak around 2025–26 before declining.
Energy Security Drives Renewables Strategy
- China invests renewables to meet growing energy demand and hard-to-electrify peak needs like AI data centres and summer air conditioning.
- Much renewable generation is in the far west while demand concentrates on the east coast, straining grid distribution.