China’s power system notched up several new clean energy generation records during the January to March quarter of 2025, cementing the country’s position as the global leader in clean electricity production.
Total clean electricity generation in China during the first quarter of the year was just over 951 terawatt hours (TWh), according to data from energy think tank Ember.
China contributed more than half of the global increase in both solar and wind generation, while wind farms were China’s largest source of clean power during the opening quarter of 2025, with the 307 TWh of wind electricity accounting for a record 13% share of total generation during the quarter.
While Chinese wind turbine manufacturers had struggled for a long time in the not too distant past to compete with international wind power giants such as Europe’s Vestas and US’s General Electric, China has solidified its position as global leaders in recent years, setting new records while shaping the future of green energy worldwide.
While the scale of these international orders remains minor compared to domestic demand in China, they hold strategic importance, helping Chinese original equipment manufacturers accumulate a track record while gaining global recognition, much like what the solar power sector experienced a decade ago.
China has by far the world’s largest wind turbine production capacity, or 60 percent of the total 163 GW in 2023, according to the Brussels-based Global Wind Energy Council. Production capacity in Europe and the United States, by contrast, stood at 19 percent and 9 percent respectively.
International energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie said Chinese wind turbine makers were expanding their presence on the global stage. China exported about $1.42 billion worth of wind turbines and components to the EU last year, it noted.
Four of the world’s top five manufacturers last year were Chinese — the first time they achieved such dominance worldwide. In fact, Chinese wind turbine makers dominated the top 10 manufacturers worldwide in 2024.
Chinese turbine manufacturer Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd had the largest foreign footprint of the Chinese players, with 748 MW, followed closely by Envision with 561 MW and Vestas — the only Western OEM firm in the global top five — according to the 2023 Global Wind Turbine Market Shares report from BloombergNEF.
The attached video looks at the story of China’s Goldwind GWH252-16MW turbine, a colossal wind turbine that shattered power genertion records, even during a typhoon! This Chinese engineering marvel, with a rotor diameter larger than the London Eye, generated an astounding 384.1 megawatt hours of electricity in a single day, powering over 170,000 homes.
Sources:
- Reuters, April 22, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/…/china-sets-new-clean…/
- China Daily, June 14, 2024. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/…/WS666b9a6ea31095c51c…
- Renewable Energy, Sep 12, 2023. https://youtu.be/u8kbXrjYPpQ
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