China has entered a pivotal phase of its energy transition, according to a new analysis by the international think tank EMBER. In 2024, the country surpassed its 2030 renewable energy targets by installing a record 278 GW of solar power and 79.8 GW of wind power. This growth pushed the nation’s total clean energy capacity beyond 1,400 GW, enabling renewables to meet more than 80 percent of the rise in electricity demand. Simultaneously, coal’s share in electricity generation continued to decline.
While these achievements are significant, sustaining momentum will require China to move beyond simply adding megawatts of wind and solar. The next stage demands a fundamental upgrade of its power system infrastructure. This includes deploying advanced electrification technologies for heavy industry, integrating AI-driven smart grids to balance supply and demand, expanding long-duration energy storage, and investing in carbon removal technologies to curb residual emissions.
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One of the greatest challenges lies in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors such as steel and shipbuilding. In these industries, current technologies are no longer sufficient. While China has made important advances in developing next-generation solutions, many obstacles remain. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), over 60 percent of the key technologies needed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 are still not commercially viable.
This is the stage China now finds itself in – where many innovations exist as prototypes in laboratories but are not yet ready for industrial-scale deployment. Known as the “valley of death” for innovation, this phase is widely seen as the most critical, as it involves substantial technical and financial risks in scaling up from controlled environments to real-world applications.
Global pressures and mounting geopolitical tensions are creating economic challenges for China, but they also present an opportunity to shape a sustainable, long-term energy future. The path forward lies in accelerating technological innovation in clean energy — backed by strategic planning, greater research investment, and strong political support.
Energy Portal
