One year after the law passed, China’s production capacity of solar photovoltaic cells reached a record-breaking 300,000 kilowatts, making it home to over 10% of the world’s production capacity.
Renewable energy at the time accounted for approximately 8% of China’s total primary energy consumption.
In 2007, China issued its Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan for Renewable Energy, pledging that by 2020, non-fossil fuel energy would account for 15% of its total primary energy consumption.
The 15% goal was significant at the time, as non-fossil energy generation was primarily dependent on hydropower and nuclear power, both of which involve lengthy construction cycles.
To meet this target within a shorter timeframe, China focused on rapidly expanding wind and solar power generation.
This played a pivotal role in driving a decade of rapid development in China's wind and photovoltaic power sectors after 2009.
The original commitment was raised to 20% by 2030 in 2015 at the Paris COP.
In 2009, a nationwide "Golden Sun Program" was launched, which provided subsidies, technological support and market incentives for solar projects.
Although this programme came to an end in 2013 due to profit-driven fraud, poor implementation and monitoring, China’s photovoltaic industry continued to grow, with the Qinghai Tarlatan Photovoltaic Power Station and Dunhuang Photovoltaic Industrial Park becoming some of the largest photovoltaic projects in China and even the world.
In addition, China’s National Energy Administration’s data shows that in the first half of 2024, renewable energy generation accounted for approximately 35.1% of the total electricity generated nationwide, among which wind and solar power together contributed about 20% of total electricity production.
How China became the world’s key transition minerals supplier
At the same time as China's coal boom in the 1970s, the government prioritised mining for rare earth elements (REEs).
Dubbed the "industrial vitamin", REEs gained national importance as China developed technology for refining high-purity materials within six years, becoming a global leader in mineral refining by the 1990s.
China's mass exports of rare earths reduced global prices dramatically, known as the "China Impact", with China producing over 85% of global output before 2014.
But it was during the 2000’s that China really recognised the value of minerals for energy transition.
In 2007, while coal, gold and iron ore remained the top three focal points for solid mineral exploration investments, copper, molybdenum, tin and tungsten also began attracting significant capital.