In 2024, China added 277 gigawatts (GW) of solar power, which was equivalent to 15% of the world's total cumulative installed solar capacity. China's photovoltaic industry began by making panels for satellites, and transitioned to the manufacture of domestic panels in the. Wind and solar surpassed a quarter of China's electricity generation for the first time in April 2025. Its PV capacity crossed 1,000 gigawatts (one terawatt, 1 TW) in May 2025. Global solar installations are breaking records again in 2025. In H1 2025, the world added 380 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity – a staggering 64% jump compared to the same period in 2024, when 232 GW came online. Rapid solar capacity expansion overwhelms the grid, PV manufacturers compete for market shares, and then large target markets slap import tariffs on Chinese PV products, taking off their competitive edge. So there is a lot of uncertainty in the. Last year, a viral drone video from China's Guizhou province revealed an entire mountain range blanketed in solar panels stretching to the horizon.
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