China Shatters Solar Records: Monthly PV Installations Surge 388% as Cumulative Capacity Breaks 1 Terawatt Milestone

China’s Renewable Energytransition accelerated dramatically in May 2025, with photovoltaic (PV) power generation capacity soaring by 92.92 gigawatts (GW) – a staggering 388% year-on-year increase – propelling the nation’s cumulative solar installations past the historic 1 terawatt (TW) threshold. This unprecedented growth, reported by China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) on June 23, underscores the country’s dominance in global Clean Energy deployment.

According to the NEA’s comprehensive power industry statistics for January-May 2025, China’s total installed power generation capacity reached 3.61 billion kilowatts (361 GW), reflecting an 18.8% annual expansion. Solar Power led this charge, with installed capacity surging 56.9% year-on-year to 1.08 billion kilowatts (108 GW), while wind power grew 23.1% to 570 million kilowatts (57 GW).

Policy-Driven Solar Boom
The record-shattering performance was heavily influenced by China’s "rush to install" policy incentives, which accelerated project commissioning ahead of anticipated subsidy adjustments. Between January and May, new PV installations totaled 197.85 GW – a 150% year-on-year leap – culminating in cumulative solar capacity officially hitting 1,084.45 million kilowatts (1.084 TW) by May’s end. This milestone positions China as the first nation to achieve a terawatt-scale solar fleet, accounting for nearly half of global PV capacity.

May’s Unprecedented Acceleration
May’s standalone figures were particularly striking:
• 92.92 GW of new PV capacity added (vs. 19.04 GW in May 2024)
• 388% year-on-year growth
• 105.48% month-on-month surge from April’s installations

This single-month addition exceeds the total annual solar capacity of most countries and highlights China’s unmatched scaling capabilities in renewable infrastructure.

Generation Efficiency: Average utilization of power generation equipment fell to 1,249 hours during January-May, down 132 hours year-on-year, indicating grid absorption challenges amid rapid renewables growth.

Investment Shifts: While power generation project investment grew modestly by 0.4% to ¥257.8 billion, grid infrastructure spending surged 19.8% to ¥204 billion, signaling prioritization of transmission upgrades to accommodate renewable influx.

Global Implications
China’s solar expansion at this scale reshapes global decarbonization pathways. The 1 TW milestone – equivalent to the entire generation capacity of the United States – demonstrates the feasibility of rapid renewable adoption. However, the decline in utilization hours underscores the critical need for complementary investments in grid modernization and Energy Storage to fully harness this clean energy potential.

This explosive growth trajectory solidifies solar power’s role as the cornerstone of China’s energy strategy, while setting new benchmarks for worldwide renewable energy deployment.