China Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend
China generated 1,173 TWh of electricity from solar in 2025, 11.2% of its total, according to Ember. That made it the largest solar power producer in 2025 of the 181 countries with Ember data, comparing each country's latest year. Solar supplied 8.8% of the world's electricity in 2025. These are annual statistics for 2025, with monthly figures through September 2026; they are compiled from national sources and are not real time.
Key Facts
- China generated 1,173 TWh of electricity from solar in 2025.
- Solar supplied 11.2% of China's electricity in 2025.
- China was the largest solar power producer in 2025 among the 181 countries with Ember data, comparing each country's latest year.
- China's solar generation in 2025 was 349% higher than in 2020, when it was 261 TWh.
- China's solar generation in 2025 was 30 times the 2015 level of 39.5 TWh.
- 2025 was China's highest year for solar generation in Ember's records, which start in 1985.
- China's solar share in 2025 was above the world share of 8.8%.
- China had 1,202 GW of solar generating capacity in 2025.
Key Figures, 2025
| Measure | Value | As of / source |
|---|---|---|
| Solar generation | 1,173 TWh | 2025 · Ember |
| Share of China's electricity | 11.2% | 2025 · Ember |
| World share of solar | 8.8% | 2025 · Ember |
| Rank by solar generation (each country's latest year) | 1 of 181 | 2025 · Ember |
| Solar capacity | 1,202 GW | 2025 · Ember |
Solar Generation Year by Year
Ember annual statistics, 1985 to 2025| Year | Solar |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 0 TWh |
| 1986 | 0 TWh |
| 1987 | 0 TWh |
| 1988 | 0 TWh |
| 1989 | 0 TWh |
| 1990 | 0 TWh |
| 1991 | 0 TWh |
| 1992 | 0 TWh |
| 1993 | 0 TWh |
| 1994 | 0 TWh |
| 1995 | 10.0 GWh |
| 1996 | 10.0 GWh |
| 1997 | 10.0 GWh |
| 1998 | 10.0 GWh |
| 1999 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2000 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2001 | 30.0 GWh |
| 2002 | 50.0 GWh |
| 2003 | 60.0 GWh |
| 2004 | 80.0 GWh |
| 2005 | 80.0 GWh |
| 2006 | 100 GWh |
| 2007 | 110 GWh |
| 2008 | 150 GWh |
| 2009 | 280 GWh |
| 2010 | 700 GWh |
| 2011 | 2.61 TWh |
| 2012 | 3.60 TWh |
| 2013 | 8.37 TWh |
| 2014 | 23.5 TWh |
| 2015 | 39.5 TWh |
| 2016 | 66.5 TWh |
| 2017 | 118 TWh |
| 2018 | 177 TWh |
| 2019 | 224 TWh |
| 2020 | 261 TWh |
| 2021 | 327 TWh |
| 2022 | 427 TWh |
| 2023 | 584 TWh |
| 2024 | 839 TWh |
| 2025 | 1,173 TWh |
| Year | China | World |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1986 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1987 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1988 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1989 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1990 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1991 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1992 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1993 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1994 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1995 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1996 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1997 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1998 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 1999 | 0.0% | n/a |
| 2000 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | 2.6% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | 3.2% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | 3.7% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | 4.6% |
| 2023 | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| 2024 | 8.4% | 7.0% |
| 2025 | 11.2% | 8.8% |
| Year | Generation | Share | World share | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,173 TWh | 11.2% | 8.8% | 1,202 GW |
| 2024 | 839 TWh | 8.4% | 7.0% | 887 GW |
| 2023 | 584 TWh | 6.2% | 5.6% | 610 GW |
| 2022 | 427 TWh | 4.9% | 4.6% | 393 GW |
| 2021 | 327 TWh | 3.9% | 3.7% | 307 GW |
| 2020 | 261 TWh | 3.4% | 3.2% | 254 GW |
| 2019 | 224 TWh | 3.0% | 2.6% | 205 GW |
| 2018 | 177 TWh | 2.5% | 2.2% | 175 GW |
| 2017 | 118 TWh | 1.8% | 1.8% | 131 GW |
| 2016 | 66.5 TWh | 1.1% | 1.3% | 77.8 GW |
Full year by year history for China
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025. World shares are Ember's World totals; ranks compare each country's latest year, which can differ between countries.
Solar Generation Month by Month
Ember monthly statistics through September 2026| Month | Solar |
|---|---|
| 2024-10 | 71.2 TWh |
| 2024-11 | 62.9 TWh |
| 2024-12 | 65.2 TWh |
| 2025-01 | 69.1 TWh |
| 2025-02 | 76.1 TWh |
| 2025-03 | 87.6 TWh |
| 2025-04 | 99.9 TWh |
| 2025-05 | 109 TWh |
| 2025-06 | 118 TWh |
| 2025-07 | 131 TWh |
| 2025-08 | 124 TWh |
| 2025-09 | 102 TWh |
| 2025-10 | 85.5 TWh |
| 2025-11 | 86.4 TWh |
| 2025-12 | 85.1 TWh |
| 2026-01 | 82.6 TWh |
| 2026-02 | 88.4 TWh |
| 2026-03 | 105 TWh |
| 2026-04 | 113 TWh |
| 2026-05 | 127 TWh |
| 2026-06 | 140 TWh |
| 2026-07 | 144 TWh |
| 2026-08 | 140 TWh |
| 2026-09 | 125 TWh |
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of September 2026. Monthly figures for China can differ slightly from the annual totals.
Related
Cite this page
World Power Monitor. (2026). China Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend. https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/china/solar/
World Power Monitor. China Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend. Data as of 2026-09. Data from Ember. https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/china/solar/
@misc{wpm_countries_china_solar_2026,
title = {{China Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend}},
author = {{World Power Monitor}},
year = {2026},
note = {Data as of 2026-09. Data from Ember.},
url = {https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/china/solar/}
} Permalink: https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/china/solar/
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