China’s renewable energy surges with 356 GW of capacity boost in 2024 – Why is then low-carbon aluminium production lagging?

China continues to spearhead the global transition to renewable energy, achieving remarkable progress in 2024 with an addition of 277 GW of solar and 79 GW of wind capacity — outpacing many other nations.

Image source: Freepik

These new additions elevated China's total renewable energy capacity (except hydro power) to 1,407 GW, signaling a steady shift towards renewables, with solar power alone contributing 886 GW and wind power accounting for nearly 521 GW. By the end of 2024, China's renewable energy capacity accounted for 15% of the world's total installed capacity for the year alone.

The rest of the world added 193 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity in 2024, with the United States contributing 163 GW and India 91 GW. Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Spain followed with additions of 91 GW, 77 GW, 51 GW, and 42 GW, respectively.

With this year’s growth, renewable energy now makes up over 56 per cent of China's total installed power capacity. However, thermal power generation remains heavily reliant on coal, with 82 per cent contribution, followed by natural gas accounting for 10 per cent and other thermal power (e.g. residual fuel) 8 per cent.