A wind farm generates power in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Zhejiang province crossed a major milestone in 2025, with its installed clean energy capacity surpassing 100 million kilowatts for the first time, reaching about 117.15 million kW.

Zhejiang's total installed power generation capacity stood at roughly 184.15 million kW by the end of the year, with clean energy accounting for 63.6 percent. From 2020 to 2025, clean power accounted for approximately 80 percent of all newly added capacity.

Wind and solar power drove this expansion, with combined wind and solar capacity more than quadrupling to around 71 million kW since 2020. A symbolic turning point occurred when photovoltaic capacity surpassed coal-fired capacity, making solar the province's largest power source.

Capacity growth, however, does not directly translate into output. Weather-dependent sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower operate fewer effective hours than fossil-fuel plants.

Clean energy generation totaled approximately 225 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025, representing 41.3 percent of total electricity output. Wind and solar contributed roughly 80.3 billion kWh, 14.7 percent of total generation.

Solar power alone generated more than 60 billion kWh, whereas wind power, with a current capacity of just over 4 million kW, still has significant room to grow. Several offshore wind projects in provincial waters are scheduled to enter operation before 2028.