For example, China’s solar power sector saw an incredible 90 GW of capacity come online in just the first half of 2025. It contributed a remarkable 212 gigawatts (GW) of new clean installations. That figure represents over two times the additions from this same period last year. It puts China on track to reach record-high total annual solar power capacity additions in 2025. Thanks to historic regulatory reforms, analysts are already forecasting growth to slow considerably in the second half of the year.
China broke its own record by adding 93GW of solar power capacity in May 2025 alone, and then 14GW in June. These recent announcements are representative of the country’s courageous shift towards renewal energy. They are driven by an urgent desire to meet domestic energy needs and address the impacts of climate change.
Impact of Power Sector Reforms
“All of the projects were rushing to be commissioned ahead of the last window where they have basically guaranteed revenue.”
This change in policy has fostered a potentially favorable new dynamic for larger renewable energy projects. It’s up to developers now to figure out this very uncertain market environment. Analyst expectations Solar power capacity additions are expected to accelerate significantly in the last half of 2025. This jump, between 12 and 16 percent, would still be roughly half of last year’s increase.
Curtailment Rates and Future Projections
China’s rate of solar development these last few years is often stated in jaw-dropping growth percentages. That said, the curtailment rate has done a complete 180, surging to 6.6% in 1H 2025, compared to 3.9% in 1H 2024. This rise highlights the great work still ahead of us to continue incorporating the growing amount of solar energy into our nation’s grid. Inevitably, our infrastructure and management systems are not keeping pace with this rapid growth.
Looking forward, Natixis’ analysts expect China to add at least 300GW of new solar capacity over the course of 2025. They caution that growth might flatten out to just 250GW per year by 2026. That change will be led by the developing market and adaptation to new rate regimes.