China races to build world’s largest solar farm to meet emissions targets

Good news, Wednesday!

China may have just hit a turning point from years of rising emissions to the first signs of decline.

According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), China’s emissions are starting to fall, even though electricity demand continues to grow.

At the center of it all?

What will soon be the world’s largest solar farm — a project the size of Chicago.

Here’s what stands out:

• China installed 212 GW of solar capacity in the first 6 months of 2025 alone. That's more than the entire capacity of the United States (178 GW as of the end of 2024). This number includes mega-projects like the Chicago-sized farm, plus many others built across the country.
• The Chicago-sized project will host more than 7 million panels and will be able to power 5 million homes.
• Solar has already overtaken hydropower and is on track to surpass wind as China’s largest source of clean energy.

But this isn’t just about the size.

• Lauri Myllyvirta at CREA calls it the first real structural decline in China’s emissions.
• Li Shuo of the Asia Society Policy Institute calls it “a moment of global significance,” proving emissions can fall while the economy grows.
• Wang Anwei, the energy administration chief of Hainan Prefecture, called it a “win-win”: more power, healthier land, and even sheep grazing between solar rows.

Yes, coal is still king in China. But the speed of solar growth shows the balance is starting to change. Reaching net zero by 2060 will still need faster grid upgrades, stronger transmission, and a steady move away from coal.

Still, one thing is clear:China is proving what a rapid-scale energy transition looks like - and the world is watching, but possibly just watch from the sidelines.

Do you see this as a real turning point for global climate progress, or just the start of a much harder race?

https://apnews.com/article/china-climate-solar-wind-carbon-emissions-ab119c39f226cfbeb2f5c1449747cae9