The sea of solar panels covering an area twice the size of Manhattan in the north-western Xinjiang region and the blades of an offshore wind turbine the height of the Eiffel Tower near the south-eastern island of Hainan reflect the magnitude of China’s renewable energy ambitions.
The scale and pace of the country’s transition away from fossil fuels has smashed international forecasts, exceeded Beijing’s own targets — and put the rest of the world on notice.
In July, China hit its target of having 1,200 gigawatts of installed solar and wind capacity, enough to power hundreds of millions of homes each year, six years early. There is more to come: around two-thirds of all new solar and wind power projects under construction are happening in China.
To deliver electricity generated from renewable sources in far-flung corners of the country to the cities and factories where it is needed, China is forecast to spend around $800bn by…
