The National Energy Administration (NEA), which regulates the energy sector in China, has proposed to increase the share of renewables in power generation from 28.2% (including hydropower) in 2020 to 40% in 2030. In addition, the share of renewables excluding hydro would be raised from 10.8% in 2020 to 25.9% in 2030. The country currently plans to increase its installed wind and solar capacity to 1,200 GW in 2030. Installed wind and solar capacity are expected to reach 780 GW and 840 GW, respectively, by 2030 under a deep emissions reduction scenario. The total wind and solar capacity would then exceed 1.6 GW and the 1.2 GW target.
China added nearly 72 GW of wind power capacity and 48 GW of solar capacity in 2020, according to the NEA. The growth in wind capacity additions accelerated in 2020 - from 26 GW added in 2019 - and exceeded 2019 global wind capacity additions by 12 GW. Part of this increase was linked to an earlier announcement of China ending subsidies for new onshore wind projects as of 2021. As well, solar capacity additions recovered after two years of slowdown (+44 GW in 2018 and +30 GW in 2019). Hydropower capacity increased by 13 GW in 2020. At the end of 2020, China had 282 GW of wind capacity and 253 GW of solar capacity.
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