June 28, 2016 - China Announces New Renewable Energy Development Goals

On June 28, 2016, China announced sweeping renewable energy development goals under its 13th Five-Year Plan, targeting 2020 and beyond. You'll find targets like 680 GW of total renewable capacity, a 15% non-fossil energy share, and 2.5 trillion yuan in planned investment. Coal's share would drop below 58%, while wind, solar, hydro, and biomass each received specific capacity mandates. There's much more behind these targets than the numbers suggest.

Key Takeaways

On June 28, 2016, China announced renewable energy development goals aligned with its 13th Five-Year Plan, targeting 2020 milestones.
China set a target of 680 GW total renewable power capacity and 27% renewable electricity generation share by 2020.
Non-fossil energy was targeted to reach at least 15% of primary energy consumption by 2020, rising to 20% by 2030.
Sector-specific targets included 210 GW of wind, 40–50 GW of solar, and 340–360 GW of hydropower capacity.
China committed 2.5 trillion yuan in total renewable energy investment throughout the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

China's Renewable Energy Targets for 2020 and 2030 Under the 13th FYP

China's 13th Five-Year Plan (FYP) sets ambitious renewable energy targets for 2020, with a long-term vision extending to 2030. Under this renewable policy, non-fossil energy must reach 15% of primary energy consumption by 2020, rising to 20% by 2030.

You'll see these goals reflected across every sector — total renewable power capacity must hit 680 million kW, while renewable electricity production should account for 27% of total generation. Wind capacity targets exceed 210 million kW, solar reaches 110 million kW, and hydropower hits 340 million kW.

These benchmarks directly shape China's emissions trajectory, reinforcing commitments to reduce coal's share below 58% by 2020. China's earlier overachievement — surpassing its 11.4% non-fossil target by reaching 12% in 2015 — signals strong momentum toward meeting these goals. The plan also targets total renewable energy investment of 2.5 trillion yuan across hydropower, wind, solar, biomass, and other sectors during the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

Carbon intensity reduction targets have also strengthened alongside renewable goals, with the 13th Five-Year Plan setting an 18% carbon intensity reduction target, surpassing the 17% target set during the 12th Five-Year Plan.

The Wind and Solar Records China Already Holds

Those ambitious targets set under the 13th FYP didn't emerge from wishful thinking — China had already built the world's most formidable renewable energy machine to back them up. You're looking at a country that's reached 1.08 terawatts of cumulative solar capacity, representing roughly half of all installed solar power worldwide. Wind and solar together generated 26% of China's electricity in April 2025, with solar tripling its share from 4.1% in April 2020.

That kind of growth creates real grid impacts, forcing rapid upgrades to transmission and storage infrastructure. Behind these numbers sits an extraordinary manufacturing scale — 93 gigawatts of solar added in a single month, equivalent to nearly 100 panels installed every second. China isn't just setting records; it's redefining what's industrially possible. In May 2025, carbon emissions declined in China for the first time even as overall energy demand continued to rise.

April 2025 also marked a solar generation milestone, with China producing a record 96 TWh of solar electricity that month, surpassing the previous record of 89 TWh set in August 2024 and signalling how rapidly the country's installed capacity is translating into raw output.

Hydropower, Wind, Solar, and Biomass: What Each Source Must Deliver by 2020

Breaking down the 13th FYP's 680 million kW renewable target reveals how ambitiously each energy source was assigned its share of the load.

Hydropower must reach 340-360 GW, backed by 500 billion yuan in hydropower financing.

Wind power's grid-integrated capacity must exceed 210 million kW, supported by 700 billion yuan in new investment.

Solar must hit 40-50 GW, with 1 trillion yuan allocated and grid price competitiveness expected by 2020.

Biomass carries a tighter but precise mandate: 15 million kW total installed capacity, generating over 90 billion kWh annually.

You'll notice biomass logistics underpin that goal, splitting delivery across agricultural, forestry, urban waste incineration, and biogas sources.

Each sector's targets aren't suggestions—they're coordinated obligations feeding into China's broader 1.9 trillion kWh generating capacity goal. China's renewable ambitions have only accelerated since, with current projections expecting over 400 GW of wind and solar to be added annually in optimistic scenarios. These efforts align with China's landmark 2020 announcement to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, underscoring the long-term strategic vision behind its expanding renewable energy commitments. Similarly, infrastructure investment momentum in Asia has extended beyond energy, with South Korea's commercial 5G launch in April 2019 representing another example of government-coordinated industrial policy driving rapid, large-scale deployment across multiple sectors simultaneously.

Which Regions Are Being Targeted for Renewable Expansion?

Across China's industrial heartlands and rural periphery, the 13th FYP doesn't scatter renewable investment randomly—it targets specific regions with tailored mandates. In the Yangtze Delta, you'll see clean renewables prioritized for schools, hospitals, and commercial facilities, while geothermal and biomass development accelerates alongside urban infrastructure.

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei-Shandong carries a 10% non-hydro renewable electricity quota by 2020, supported by a hydrogen corridor linking Inner Mongolia and Hebei. Northern provinces like Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang each hold 13% non-hydro targets.

Out in the Western Desert, massive solar and wind bases exploit cheap land and high radiation, transmitting power eastward through high-speed lines. Rural counties, meanwhile, pursue distributed solar through the Whole County PV program, covering roughly a quarter of China's population. These provincial and regional quota breakdowns were formally specified in the Guiding Opinions published by the National Energy Administration.

Coastal provinces such as Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Fujian serve as the geographic focus for large-scale offshore wind development, leveraging the fact that approximately 75% of China's wind resource is located offshore.

What China's 13th FYP Targets Signal to International Energy Markets

Beyond pinpointing where China builds its renewable capacity, the 13th Five-Year Plan's targets send unmistakable signals to international energy markets. These market signaling moves reduce investment risks for global stakeholders by clarifying China's trajectory:

Technology Dominance: China's patent growth and efficient manufacturing position it as the world's primary renewable technology supplier.
Coal Saturation: Declining coal consumption confirms a structural energy shift, not a temporary policy adjustment.
Export Expansion: Expect China to aggressively pursue foreign grid projects, power investments, and new energy partnerships.
Overachievement Pattern: Prior plans exceeded their targets—40-45% carbon intensity reduction may reach 50%—signaling sustained, credible momentum. Global cloud providers like AWS have similarly demonstrated that infrastructure commitments backed by institutional momentum, such as its pledge to power data centers with 100% renewable energy by 2025, can serve as reliable benchmarks for long-term strategic planning.

You should treat these benchmarks as reliable indicators when assessing long-term clean energy investment positions globally. China's plan also commits to devoting 2.5% of GDP to science, technology, and R&D by 2020, reinforcing the institutional foundation behind these market signals. Further reinforcing this foundation, China's non-fossil energy share is targeted to reach at least 15% of total primary energy consumption by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.