The message: With one of the world’s biggest economies shifting to green energy, and away from fossil fuels, the future for solar power and electric cars becomes a reliable bet, not a passing fad. In addition, wars being fought over oil mean gas prices will climb drastically.
It’s time to trade in your gas car, transition to electric power and car, to save a lot of money, and help eliminate climate disasters. Comments afterwards.
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Green energy sector drove more than 90% of
China’s investment growth last year, analysis finds
Industry bigger than all but seven world economies, and
accounts for more than third of China’s economic growth
The Guardian
Wed 4 Feb 2026
China’s clean energy industries drove more than 90% of the country’s investment growth last year, making the sectors bigger than all but seven of the world’s economies, a new analysis has shown.
For the second time in three years, the report showed the manufacture, installation and export of batteries, electric cars, solar, wind and related technologies accounted for more than a third of China’s economic growth.
Despite the chilling effect of Donald Trump’s tariffs and support for fossil fuels, the new data highlighted the continuing momentum behind the shift towards renewables.
The new analysis, produced by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and published in Carbon Brief, found that China’s clean-energy sectors nearly doubled in real value between 2022 and 2025.
Last year, they generated a record 15.4tn yuan ($2.2tn/£1.6tn) of business, comparable with the GDPs of Brazil or Canada. This accounted for 11.4% of China’s gross domestic product, up from 7.3% in 2022.
China is increasingly dependent on these sectors. Without clean energy, Beijing’s leaders would have missed their 5% annual growth target by a wide margin.
Most of the extra capacity is being used to meet domestic demand for a rollout of wind and solar that has recently been double that in the rest of the world combined.
Chinese government advisers say this is no longer just a transition of power generation, but a system-wide change in how the country is wired and made mobile. The most spectacular investment growth last year was in the battery sector, where ever more efficient technology is being used for electric vehicles (EVs) and grid storage upgrades.
Exports are also surging. Thanks to expanding output in the world’s manufacturing powerhouse, solar power has been credited by the International Energy Agency for providing “the cheapest electricity in history” and is now affordable in many global south nations. The report’s lead author, Lauri Myllyvirta, said …
“In a lot of other countries things are accelerating.
Many of the African countries have imported a lot
of solar. EVs are just starting to be bought in places
where no one had an EV breakthrough on their bingo
card for last year or maybe not even this decade.”
He said the uptick in clean energy investment in China was positive news.
If the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases continues to move away from fossil fuels at this speed, it will soon – or possibly already has – hit peak carbon, which would mark a global turning point.
But this is not yet assured. China’s coal industry is also a powerful political force and it will be contesting the speed of transition. Last year, developers submitted proposals to build a total 161 GW of new coal-fired power plants and more are in the pipeline. The future direction of the country’s energy sector should become clearer next month, when the government unveils its next five-year plan.
Climate campaigners said it was time for China to make up its mind. Andreas Sieber, the head of political strategy at 350.org., said …
“This is a historic turning point: solar power is set to
overtake coal in China for the first time in 2026. This
is maybe the clearest demonstration yet that clean
energy has won – on cost, scale, and air quality.”
“However, China is responding to coal’s economic de-
feat by building more of it. With around 290 GW of new
coal capacity already permitted or under construction,
and another record year for approvals, the country is
proving coal is obsolete while rushing to entrench it.
“This mostly serves a coal industry racing against
time. The consequence is predictable: stranded assets,
higher system costs, and a transition made harder.”
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
At this point, I’m feeling frustrated with our inability to assume personal responsibility for the disasters we’re causing – with both climate-related destructive events and wars that can be directly attributed to control of oil. In the fabled “Old West”, if one rancher or farmer had ample water and another didn’t, they had to negotiate a settlement or enter a war of survival. That’s what’s happening in Iran, Venezuela, Lebanon, etc. “There can be only one.”
However, using the sun and wind, we have a virtually limitless supply of pollution-free power. That changes the “game” from zero-sum, in which competitive skill wins, to non-zero-sum in which everyone can win. In this situation, collaboration and trust is crucial, not competition. However …
Leaders of government or corporations tend to be more competitive. And if, because of their traits, we end up using competitive tactics in a non-zero-sum situation, the outcome is invariably “lose-lose.” Today’s increasing numbers of wars break our budgets, kill millions, devastate cities and countrysides, replace joyful living with fear, increase numbers living in poverty, and make many Earth areas uninhabitable. Adding D’s comments …
“The investment in personal climate-mitigating technologies or behaviors is essential. China is showing the world that the future lies with solar panels, wind machines, and electric cars.
“We are asking that each individual reading this blog take a step toward a sustainable future, and then … take another step … and another step, etc. Technology has gotten better over time. And yet, people hesitate to take that first step. We ask that you begin … now.”
