The Remarkable Progress of Renewable Energy

[bilby]

^According to the article, last year China installed 300GW of solar and wind and 1GW of nuclear. Divide 300 by five to establish the equivalent capacity, and China has produced 60 times more capacity in solar and wind than nuclear in one year.

Yeah. But what does "installed" mean, and where do those numbers come from (and why should we believe them)?

According to Wikipedia, as of 31st December 2024:

There are 27 additional [nuclear] plants under construction with a total power of 32.31 GW

32.31 is a touch more than 1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_China

 

[No Robots]

^Some numbers are available here:

China Energy Transition Review 2025

Here is one highlight:

In the 12 months to June 2025, wind and solar (2,073 TWh) generated more electricity than all other clean sources (nuclear, hydro and bioenergy) combined (1,936 TWh). Just four years ago, wind and solar generated half as much electricity as other clean sources combined.

The trend in China is definitely toward solar.

 

[bilby]

^Some numbers are available here:

China Energy Transition Review 2025

Here is one highlight:

In the 12 months to June 2025, wind and solar (2,073 TWh) generated more electricity than all other clean sources (nuclear, hydro and bioenergy) combined (1,936 TWh). Just four years ago, wind and solar generated half as much electricity as other clean sources combined.

The trend in China is definitely toward solar.

It still doesn't work at night.