China is constructing wind and solar power facilities at twice the rate of the rest of the world, according to a report.

China is on track to reach 1,200GW of installed wind and solar capacity by the end of 2024, six years ahead of Beijing’s target. According to a report, the amount of wind and solar power under construction in China is now nearly double that of the rest of the world combined.

Research released on Thursday by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), an NGO, revealed that China is currently building 180 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar power and 15GW of wind power. This brings the total wind and solar power under construction to 339GW, significantly outpacing the 40GW under construction in the US.

The study focused on solar farms with a capacity of 20MW or more that feed directly into the grid, meaning that the total solar power volume in China could be much higher. Small-scale solar farms account for about 40% of China’s solar capacity.

These findings highlight China’s leadership in global renewable energy production, especially as the US grows increasingly concerned about Chinese overcapacity and dumping, particularly in the solar industry. China has experienced a renewables boom in recent years, driven by strong government support. President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of “new quality productive forces,” a term that signifies a shift towards technology and innovation, including strengthening green manufacturing.

Between March 2023 and March 2024, China installed more solar power than in the previous three years combined and more than the rest of the world combined for 2023, GEM analysts found. China is on pace to reach 1,200GW of installed wind and solar capacity by the end of 2024, six years ahead of the government’s target.

“The continuous wave of construction ensures that China will maintain its lead in wind and solar installation well into the future, far ahead of the rest of the world,” the report stated.

However, analysts warn that even more renewable capacity will be necessary for China to meet its goal of reducing carbon intensity by 18%, a crucial factor in lowering emissions. Carbon intensity measures how many grams of CO2 are emitted to produce a kilowatt-hour of electricity. Previous analyses suggest that China will need to install between 1,600GW and 1,800GW of wind and solar energy by 2030 to achieve its goal of generating 25% of all energy from non-fossil sources.

From 2020 to 2023, only 30% of the growth in energy consumption was met by renewable sources, compared to a target of 50%.

“It is crucial for China to continue adding more renewable energy to meet its targets,” said Li Shuo, the director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Policy Institute in Washington DC. “But it’s not as simple as just building more; the country is not yet moving away from its coal consumption.”

Previous analysis by GEM and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air found that approvals for new coal power plants increased fourfold in 2022-2023 compared to the previous five-year period of 2016-2020, despite a 2021 pledge to “strictly control” new coal power. Total coal consumption growth increased from an average of 0.5% per year to 3.8% per year between the two periods.

Geopolitical tensions, such as the war in Ukraine, which heightened concerns about energy supplies, and major power outages in parts of China in recent years, have made Chinese officials more focused on energy security.

China’s power grid remains heavily reliant on coal, which officials deem necessary to address the intermittency of renewable energy. Additionally, officials often view the coal industry as a reliable way to boost local GDP figures, although clean energy sectors are now the primary driver of China’s economic growth, accounting for 40% of GDP expansion in 2023. Analysts argue that better storage and grid flexibility are essential to effectively utilize the increasing volume of clean energy being generated by China’s wind and solar farms.

The Chinese government recognizes this challenge, identifying lithium-ion batteries as one of the “new three” technologies crucial for achieving high-quality growth, along with electric vehicles and solar panels. Last year, $11bn was invested in grid-connected batteries, a 364% increase from 2022.

The GEM report also emphasized China’s leadership in actual construction of planned renewable energy infrastructure. The 339GW of wind and solar that has reached the construction stage represents one-third of proposed projects, far exceeding the global construction rate of 7%.

“China’s renewable energy pipeline is twice as large as the rest of the world,” said Li. “But the question we should increasingly ask is, why is the rest of the world so slow?”