China’s energy dominance is clearest in electricity: it uses nearly 10,000 terawatt-hours a year, accounts for a large share of global demand growth, and has rapidly expanded wind and solar. But fast construction is not the same as a renewable-powered electricity mix. Wind and solar supplied 18% of China’s generation in 2024, according to Ember.
The three charts below track electricity consumption, wind and solar’s share of generation, and installed wind and solar capacity. They do not represent all energy used for transport, heat, industry and other purposes.
1. China’s electricity use is enormous—and still growing
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) reported 9,852.1 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity consumption in 2024, up 6.8% from 2023. Separately, the International Energy Agency (IEA) described gross electricity demand as approaching 10,000 TWh at the end of 2024. These figures are close, but they are differently labeled measures; the chart uses the NEA consumption series.
| Measure | Value | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Total social electricity consumption | 9,852.1 TWh | 2024; China NEA, released 2025 |
| Year-on-year change in consumption | +6.8% | 2024 versus 2023; China NEA, released 2025 |
| Share of global electricity-demand growth | 54% | 2024; IEA, 2025 |
The first two rows show the size and annual change in China’s consumption; the third is China’s share of the increase in demand worldwide, not its share of global electricity use. The IEA says electricity-intensive manufacturing, air conditioning, electric vehicles, data centres and 5G contributed to rising demand. Industry uses about 60% of Chinese electricity, and accounted for 48% of the increase in demand over 2022–2024, according to the IEA.
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Why a clean-technology boom can add to demand
Making clean-energy products also takes electricity. The IEA estimates that manufacturing solar modules, batteries, electric vehicles and associated materials consumed more than 300 TWh in China in 2024—approximately Italy’s annual electricity use. That demand helps explain why China can build clean-energy supply quickly while total electricity use continues to rise.
2. Wind and solar are growing fast, but remain a minority of generation
Ember reports that wind and solar together generated 18% of China’s electricity in 2024, double their 9% share in 2020. Their combined generation increased 25% in 2024 compared with 2023.
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| Year | Wind and solar share of electricity generation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 9% | Ember, 2025 review |
| 2024 | 18% | Ember, 2025 review |
The generation share measures electricity actually produced, not the amount of equipment installed. In the first half of 2025, wind and solar generation was 27% higher than in the first half of 2024. Ember says clean-generation growth in that half-year exceeded electricity-demand growth, while fossil generation fell 2% year on year. Those are half-year comparisons, not full-year 2025 results.
Where clean power’s contribution is especially visible
Ember reports that wind and solar generation exceeded a quarter of total generation in seven provinces in 2024. Its examples include Qinghai at 46%, Gansu at 36% and Jilin at 33%. These are provincial shares of generation, not shares of installed capacity.
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3. Installed wind and solar capacity more than doubled in three years
China’s combined installed wind and solar capacity rose from 635 gigawatts (GW) in 2021 to 1,408 GW in 2024, according to Ember. Ember says the combined capacity overtook coal capacity in early 2025.
| Year | Combined installed wind and solar capacity | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 635 GW | Ember, 2025 review |
| 2024 | 1,408 GW | Ember, 2025 review |
Capacity is the nameplate potential of the installed equipment, not the electricity it delivers. Actual output depends on weather, when power is available, capacity factors, curtailment and grid access. That is why this capacity chart should be read alongside the generation-share chart: a large build-out does not by itself establish how much electricity wind and solar supply.
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What the three charts say—and what they do not
Together, the figures show three kinds of influence: an exceptionally large electricity system, a major role in global demand growth, and rapid clean-energy construction. They do not show that China is energy-independent or that its electricity is already mostly renewable. In Ember’s 2024 accounting, wind and solar provided 18% of generation; that figure should not be confused with the share of total energy use supplied by renewables.
There is also no single interchangeable measure of electricity’s place in China’s wider energy use. The IEA estimated electricity at 28% of China’s total final consumption in 2024, up from 27% in 2023; Ember’s 2025 review reported 32% for 2023. These values differ by source, definition or revision and should not be joined into one trend line without checking the underlying methods.
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- INSTALLS IN CIRCUIT PANEL of most homes with clamp-on sensors. Supports Single phase, Single-split phase, and 2-wire systems. 3-wire systems; 3-phase, 4-wire Wye systems with earthed (TN or TT) neutral (no-Delta) are supported with an additional 200A sensor (sold separately).
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- LOWER YOUR ELECTRIC BILL: Configure settings in the Emporia Energy App to automate energy management for time of use, peak demand, excess solar, and rewards programs. You can even see live reporting and invaluable savings opportunities instantly. Gauge real-time spending and get actionable notifications and automated energy management to help you reduce costs.
- REAL-TIME ENERGY DATA: REQUIRES 2.4 GHz WIFI WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION to monitor energy use with iPhone / Android / Web app. Vue sensors collect energy data and are accurate from ±2%. The Vue is UL and CE Listed for your safety. 1 second data is only available in the app (when actively open) and retained 3 hours. Minute and hour data are retained in the cloud. 1 minute data is retained 7 days, 1 hour data is retained indefinitely. Export cloud data whenever you want in the app.
Investment and grid context
Ember’s 2025 review estimates that China had US$625 billion in clean-energy investment in 2024, 31% of its reported global total of US$2.033 trillion. It also reports grid investment of 608 billion renminbi (about US$85 billion) in 2024, compared with 486 billion renminbi in 2019. These are Ember’s reported estimates, not government-audited figures.
Ember further estimates that clean-energy investment and production contributed 13.6 trillion renminbi (US$1.9 trillion) to China’s economy in 2024. The IEA’s estimate of more than 300 TWh used by new-energy-product manufacturing illustrates an important two-way link: clean technologies require electricity to produce, while the resulting power infrastructure can supply a growing economy.
Quick Recap
How to read comparisons responsibly
- Keep electricity consumption or demand separate from total primary or final energy use.
- Do not treat installed capacity as generation, or a generation share as a capacity share.
- Keep time periods and units aligned. In particular, distinguish first-half 2025 results from full-year figures.
- Label the publisher and measure: China’s NEA consumption figure and the IEA’s gross-demand estimate are related but not identical series.
- When comparing electricity’s share of total final consumption, check source definitions and revisions before combining figures.
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