China leads in energy transition investment

China led the world in energy transition investment last year, accounting for two-thirds of the $2.1 trillion spent globally in 2024, according to BloombergNEF (BNEF), a research and advisory firm.

Driven by strong domestic demand, China remained the dominant force in clean energy investment last year, with spending focused on solar power, lithium batteries, electric vehicles, and power grids, BNEF said in its recently released Energy Transition Investment Trends 2025 report.

With a 20 percent year-on-year growth, the Chinese mainland alone contributed $134 billion of the $202 billion global investment increase in 2024. The country posted solid growth across multiple sectors, including renewables, energy storage, nuclear power, EVs, hydrogen, heat pumps and power grids, it said.

China's rapid investment surge widened its lead over other economies, with its energy transition spending more than double that of any other country. Even when adjusted for economic size, China's investment accounted for 4.5 percent of its GDP, far exceeding countries like the United States with 1.2 percent, said the research firm.

China's renewable energy sector experienced a stellar year in 2024, with total installed capacity of wind and solar power surpassing 1.4 billion kilowatts, further reinforcing the country's role as a global leader in renewable energy development.

Industry experts said China has always been a global leader in the green energy shift.

The Sinopec Economics and Development Research Institute, a think tank that is part of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, has forecast that China's investment in its energy transition is expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030, with a focus on enhancing energy efficiency and accelerating electrification.

China has doubled the share of renewable energy in its energy investment mix, spending more than 40 percent of its energy transition funds on renewables, or roughly twice the amount allocated to fossil fuels, said Luo Daqing, vice-president of the institute.

According to Zhou Libo, deputy secretary-general of the China Electricity Council's electric transportation and energy storage branch, investment in China is set to continue growing in integrated energy stations, photovoltaic-storage-charging hubs and supercharging stations.

Data released by BNEF reveal that China also maintained its dominance in the clean energy supply chain, accounting for 81 percent of global supply chain investment in 2024.

BNEF expects China to continue leading global clean energy spending in the years ahead.

Beyond renewables, investment in other low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear power, rose sharply in 2024, underscoring a global revival of nuclear energy, it said.