Categories: Other Good StuffSolar

Graph of the Day: China first to pass 3GW utility-scale solar

Published by

Cleantechnica

China has surpassed the 3 GW (3,000 MW) milestone for utility-scale solar power production capacity. It’s the first country to do so and is sitting pretty at the top of the utility-scale solar rankings.

Apart from that, keep in mind that Chinese homes and businesses are utilizing rooftop solar-power production systems, as well as solar thermal water heaters to reduce electricity usage by eliminating the need for electric water heaters.

According to project tracker Wiki-Solar, worldwide utility-scale solar added 3.75 GW to electricity production capacity in the first half of 2013, and China contributed more than 1 GW (26%) of that. The world is now close to 15 GW of utility-scale solar power. As the table above shows, the top 5 countries for utility-scale solar (and their capacities) are:

  • China (3.137 GW)
  • Germany (2.896 GW)
  • US (2.895 GW)
  • India (1.19 GW)
  • Spain (1.151 GW)

This article first appeared on Cleantechnica. Reproduced with permission.
Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Energy Insiders Podcast: Why we need regional leaders for renewable transition

Sabiene Heindl from The Energy Charter on the need for strong regional leaders for transition…

28 August 2026

“Paint the bloody things green”: Big battery developers are facing local push back – are they ready?

Big battery developers are facing increasing scrutiny from local communities about their projects. Some of…

28 August 2026

Solar and wind lead emissions falls, EVs pitch in – but bigger cuts needed to meet climate target

Record levels of solar, wind and battery use are pushing down emissions in Australia but…

28 August 2026

Gas for data centres, solar for the grid: NT seeks new PV plant to take load off costly gas peakers

As the NT government fights to power future data centres with gas, its publicly-owned utility…

28 August 2026

Still no word on Snowy 2.0 as Bowen underlines importance of transmission: “They are not being built for fun”

Bowen says transmission projects are key, including the VNI West link now under threat from…

28 August 2026

Nine little councils that could: The gutsy regional energy pact that is facing down the anti-renewable fury

Nine north-western Victoria councils are fighting to ensure their communities get the most out the…

28 August 2026