China has achieved another historic transformation.

The latest data from the National Energy Administration shows that the installed capacity of wind power photovoltaics in the first quarter of 2025 reached 1.482 billion kilowatts, exceeding the installed capacity of thermal power (1.451 billion kilowatts) for the first time.

In the future, as the new installed capacity of wind power photovoltaics continues to grow rapidly, wind power photovoltaics installed capacity exceeds thermal power will become the norm.

At present, China has established an energy supply system for comprehensive development of coal, oil, gas, nuclear, water, wind, and light. The installation of scenery and light capacity is historically higher than that of thermal power, marking a substantial breakthrough in the power system from being mainly coal to being mainly clean.

In the past, China was a major thermal power. Today, China is so "scenic" from all over the country.

What is the counterattack of wind power and photovoltaics relying on?

Technical advances make costs down-to-earth.

Innovation is the "golden key" to open the door to energy transformation. Technologies such as photovoltaic power generation high-efficiency crystalline silicon batteries and perovskite batteries have been constantly innovating, and the conversion efficiency has been set by the world record many times. The conversion efficiency of mass-produced advanced crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells has exceeded 25%.

The purity of domestic electronic grade polysilicon can reach 99.9999999999%, and "11 9s" means that it can meet the application requirements in the aerospace field. China also successfully built the world's longest wind power blade 143 meters.

Clean energy is changing from "noble electricity" to "mass electricity". The International Renewable Energy Agency released a report in 2024 showing that in the past 10 years, the cumulative cost of global wind power projects has dropped by more than 60%, and photovoltaic power generation projects have dropped by more than 80%, which is largely attributed to China.

The industrial chain and supply chain are twisted together.

China already has a relatively complete supply chain for new energy industry chains and other wind power, photovoltaic power generation, etc.

In 2024, China will build the world's largest and most complete new energy industry chain, and its photovoltaic module output will rank first in the world for 16 consecutive years.

At the same time, China is actively integrating into the global clean energy industry chain and continuously sharing high-quality clean energy products to the world. In 2024, China's wind turbine exports increased by 71.9%; photovoltaic products exported more than 200 billion yuan for four consecutive years; lithium batteries exported 3.91 billion, a record high.

Policies and the environment help ride the wind and waves.

In the face of energy changes, China has dynamically improved policies and measures such as renewable energy on-grid electricity prices, consumption guarantees, and market allocation to create an equal, open and inclusive market environment, and attract all sectors of society to participate in the development and construction of new energy.

Policies are not "one-size-fits-all", but are connected with the market like a gear, helping the market to fully release its innovative vitality. Taking photovoltaics as an example, there are more than 100 listed companies in China's photovoltaic industry.

This profound change in the energy field is reshaping China's development picture. Industrial upgrading presses the fast forward button to drive the optimization and upgrading of the entire economic structure; the employment market is also experiencing green migration, injecting new vitality into industrial development.

China's energy turn has long surpassed national boundaries.

First, hand over the "overtaking key" to developing countries. China provides 70% of the world's photovoltaic modules and 60% of the wind power equipment, effectively reducing the global wind power and photovoltaic power generation costs.

Through the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, China has carried out green energy project cooperation with more than 100 countries and regions. In Argentina, Chinese companies have undertaken the construction of the Gaocharui Photovoltaic Power Station, the highest altitude and largest installed capacity photovoltaic power station in South America, providing clean energy to 250,000 local households and promoting local power self-sufficiency.

The second is to prove that "development and emission reduction" can be a win-win situation. China has proved that industrialization with a population of 1 billion can take the path of green development, and has provided a sample, that is, modernization does not necessarily require pollution first and then treatment, and it can completely reduce carbon while developing.

Just like ultra-high voltage can transmit electricity across mountains and seas, China's energy transformation logic is no longer just digital.

When wind and photoelectricity becomes the main force, and when energy storage allows electricity to be used, this is not only an adjustment of the energy structure, but also a revolution in development paradigm, and a vivid footnote to global sustainable development.

("Sanlihe" Studio)