China's yearslong push into wind energy appears to be paying off in a big way, and the benefits could stretch far beyond the country's borders.
After pouring resources into turbine manufacturing, sprawling onshore wind farms, offshore developments, and long-distance transmission lines, the country is now generating clean electricity at a scale few others can rival, according to The New York Times
With the world's six largest wind turbine manufacturers being Chinese, the industry is expected to provide the nation with an extreme advantage in weathering the global energy crisis.
Wind power can help displace dirtier energy sources such as coal and gas, reducing the heat-trapping emissions fueling more extreme weather around the globe. It can also cut harmful air pollution, which has been linked to respiratory illness and other health risks.
China's strategy has stood out for how aggressive it has been. In addition to installing turbines, it also built the industrial capacity needed to produce them quickly and affordably while expanding the grid infrastructure required to deliver that electricity from windy regions to population centers.
That combination helps explain why the country's long-term bet is starting to look so successful; rather than treating wind as a secondary project, China scaled it as a central part of its energy system.
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As the Times pointed out, these tactics come as a stark juxtaposition to the United States' approach. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has attempted to stall over 150 wind power projects, even on private land.
As the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas, the U.S. can rely on fossil fuels to power the nation. China, though, is the largest importer of these fuels, which was another motivator for the nation to push forward with renewable energy projects.
The war in Iran is raising critical points about the vulnerable state of oil and gas supplies, further propelling China's motivation for prioritizing renewables, according to the Times.
"Energy is a strategic issue in development — our pioneering development of wind power and solar technology has proved to be forward-looking," said Xi Jinping, China's president, following U.S. and Israeli military operations in Iran.
More wind power on the grid can help strengthen electricity supplies, reduce reliance on fuel markets prone to price spikes, and support lower power costs over time as renewables make up a larger share of the mix. Even for people outside China, the ripple effects could be significant: When one country manufactures and deploys clean-energy technology on a massive scale, it can help drive costs down worldwide and accelerate adoption elsewhere.
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Some Chinese manufacturers continue to run into challenges, however, in installing turbines in other nations. In March, the British government blocked one manufacturer from installing offshore turbines in British waters, per the Times.
China's Ministry of Commerce said the decision was "not conducive to local economic development or to improving the well-being of the British people."
China also still faces major energy challenges domestically, including its continued dependence on coal, but the momentum behind wind is an encouraging sign. According to the Times, wind made up 10% of China's electricity last year, and while coal still contributes to over half, the share is consistently decreasing.
Large clean-energy investments do not have to remain theoretical. With enough manufacturing, planning, and grid upgrades, they can move from ambitious policy goals to everyday electricity.
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