How wind power grew in China
China began testing wind power in 1976, when a test station opened at Pingtan in Fujian. In May 1986 the country's first grid-connected demonstration wind farm opened at Malan Bay, Rongcheng, in Shandong. It used three 55 kW Danish turbines. The first Chinese-made turbine was connected to the grid in Xinjiang in June 1998, with 33.4% of its parts made in China.
The Renewable Energy Law took effect in 2006 and required grid companies to connect wind farms. In 2009 four regional feed-in tariffs of 0.51 to 0.61 yuan/kWh replaced prices set by bidding, and a rule requiring 70% local content was scrapped late that year. Subsidised offshore tariffs ended with 2021, and a record 16.9 GW of offshore wind was added that year. Since June 2025 new projects have sold at market prices, with provinces auctioning contracts. Goldwind, Windey, Mingyang, Envision and Sany led domestic installations in 2025.
China had about 700 GW of wind at the end of September 2026, after adding 60.7 GW in nine months. Wind generated 1,128 TWh in 2025, 10.7% of the country's electricity. Grid limits cut output: only 92.1% of available wind output was used from January to September 2026. Under its climate pledge of September 2025, China aims for wind and solar to exceed six times their 2020 level by 2035, striving for 3,600 GW combined.
Sources: China Daily · Norton Rose Fulbright · Jiemian · Carbon Brief · Jiemian · Renewable Energy Industry · Ember · China Daily
Where China's power comes from, 2025
| Source | Share of electricity |
|---|---|
| Coal | 54.6% |
| Hydro | 13.2% |
| Solar | 11.1% |
| Wind | 10.7% |
| Nuclear | 4.6% |
| Gas | 3.0% |
| Bioenergy | 1.9% |
| Other fossil fuels | 0.8% |
Wind farms in China
We track 8,745 wind farms in China: 543.4 GW operating and 743.6 GW under construction, consented or planned, with 122.8 GW of it offshore. Each one's owners, turbines and status are in the Wind app.
Electricity data: Ember yearly electricity data (CC BY 4.0). Wind farms: national registers and Global Energy Monitor; see data sources.
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