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China installed more solar capacity in 6 months than the US has installed in its entire existence [1] To say they’re winning the race implies there even is a r

China installed more solar capacity in 6 months than the US has installed in its entire existence [1] To say they’re winning the race implies there even is a race. It’s a super car vs a snail. [1] https://etangonam.com/?p=805 https://etangonam.com/?p=805

strictnein 1mo ago
The US has the second most and has 1/4th the population. We're barely behind them in solar watt per capita. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country#Global_use_figures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country#Global_... Many countries on that list dwarf China in a solar watts per capita, so are they winning this hypothetical race then? But sure, them adding that alongside all of their new coal plants is nice. Also, they waste the most solar energy of any country. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-leads-wave-clean-power-wastage-grids-globally-hit-limits-2026-08-17/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-leads-wave-cle...
- foota 1mo ago
  China is at a higher installed capacity by 6x from overall and 30% by per capita capacity. They're growing installed capacity from your source at 45% y/y as compared to 20% in the US. Sure, there might be more transmission constraints or whatever, but those will certainly be solved in time (transmission capacity is more distributed so I'm not surprised it's lagging capacity).
jimbokun 1mo ago
I know. I just don’t understand why they are diversifying between solar and coal, instead of just putting all new investment into solar or other renewables.
- lern_too_spel 1mo ago
  Wind produced 10% of China's electricity last year, and its share is growing at 1% per year while coal's share shrinks. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/business/china-wind-turbines.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/business/china-wind-turbi...
- Mawr 1mo ago
  The sun doesn't shine half the time, wind is random, and long-term storage is a pipe dream.

strictnein 1mo ago

The US has the second most and has 1/4th the population. We're barely behind them in solar watt per capita. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country#Global_use_figures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country#Global_... Many countries on that list dwarf China in a solar watts per capita, so are they winning this hypothetical race then? But sure, them adding that alongside all of their new coal plants is nice. Also, they waste the most solar energy of any country. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-leads-wave-clean-power-wastage-grids-globally-hit-limits-2026-08-17/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-leads-wave-cle...

foota 1mo ago
China is at a higher installed capacity by 6x from overall and 30% by per capita capacity. They're growing installed capacity from your source at 45% y/y as compared to 20% in the US. Sure, there might be more transmission constraints or whatever, but those will certainly be solved in time (transmission capacity is more distributed so I'm not surprised it's lagging capacity).

jimbokun 1mo ago

I know. I just don’t understand why they are diversifying between solar and coal, instead of just putting all new investment into solar or other renewables.

lern_too_spel 1mo ago
Wind produced 10% of China's electricity last year, and its share is growing at 1% per year while coal's share shrinks. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/business/china-wind-turbines.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/business/china-wind-turbi...
Mawr 1mo ago
The sun doesn't shine half the time, wind is random, and long-term storage is a pipe dream.