China’s rapid solar expansion is transforming deserts, grasslands, and farmland into some of the world’s largest renewable energy bases, signalling a major shift in global energy leadership.
Deserts turn into solar power hubs
In Inner Mongolia’s Kubuqi desert, aluminium-framed panels now capture sunlight across once-barren dunes. Scientists say the installations provide shade and wind protection that help stabilise soil and restore vegetation, offering modest ecological recovery alongside large-scale electricity generation.
Local farmer Xin Guiyi, who has lived in the region his entire life, recalls worsening drought and expanding desert conditions before the arrival of solar infrastructure. Today, renewable energy projects cover more than 46,000 hectares of former grazing land in the area.
Beijing accelerates renewable dominance
Across provinces such as Gansu and Xinjiang, vast wind and solar bases now generate electricity for tens of millions of homes. China remains the world’s largest carbon emitter, yet its leadership under President Xi Jinping has set targets to peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Analysts report that China’s carbon dioxide emissions have remained flat or declined for nearly two years, while the country continues adding solar capacity at a pace exceeding the rest of the world combined.
Global competition and economic strain
China already produces more solar panels than all other countries together, making it indispensable to global clean-energy supply chains. However, oversupply has triggered price wars, falling electricity rates, and heavy projected losses for major manufacturers.
Western governments, particularly within the European Union, have criticised what they describe as unfair trade practices linked to large-scale state support for Chinese renewables industries.
Human rights and environmental concerns
Parts of the solar supply chain in Xinjiang face allegations of forced labour and human rights abuses, claims Beijing denies. At the same time, rapid domestic construction has raised environmental worries, including soil erosion and landslide risks where farmland or forests give way to panel installations.
In Yunnan province, tea farmer Duan Tiansong says solar projects have replaced long-standing crops and altered the landscape despite local objections. Similar tensions have appeared elsewhere, with protests often suppressed or censored online.
A transformation with global consequences
China’s solar expansion mirrors earlier economic shifts that turned the country into the world’s manufacturing hub. Massive state investment now drives a second transformation – this time toward renewable energy leadership – potentially leaving other nations struggling to keep pace.
Experts argue the scale and speed of China’s progress could shape global climate action for decades, making cooperation with Beijing increasingly unavoidable for countries pursuing clean-energy transitions.
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