This post originally appeared on WRI’s Insights blog:
China has emerged as a leader in renewable energy. Investment soared from $39 billion to $111 billion in just five years, while electric capacity for solar power grew 168-fold and wind power quadrupled. Actual renewable energy utilization also grew. The total share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption increased from 8.3 percent in 2010 to 12 percent in 2015, beating the country’s target of 11.4 percent and putting China well on track to meet its Copenhagen pledge to reach 15 percent by 2020 and Paris commitment to reach 20 percent by 2030.