Science Friday How China Is Driving Down Electricity Costs With Renewables
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Jan 28, 2026 Jeremy Wallace, A. Doak Barnett Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS, explains China’s role in global renewables and energy tech. He discusses real wind power generation and curtailment. He describes China’s battery production and massive solar buildout. He outlines where Chinese panels are exported and why solar is now the cheapest electricity in history.
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China Actually Uses Its Wind Power
- China has by far the most wind capacity and those turbines do spin and generate electricity.
- Curtailment sometimes happens when wind produces more power than the grid can use, but that is a normal system issue.
China Dominates Global Solar And Wind
- China deploys and manufactures more solar and wind than any other country and installs about as much as the rest of the world combined.
- In 2025 China deployed roughly 350 gigawatts of solar, a massive share of global capacity.
Huge Export Engine For Solar Panels
- China made about 600 gigawatts of solar panels last year and installed roughly 350 at home, exporting the rest worldwide.
- Exports now reach almost every region except the United States, which buys far less Chinese panels.