China is lapping the United States when it comes the development of its solar power industry. Semafor reports that the world’s second-largest economy added more sun-driven energy capacity last year than the U.S. has, period.
Citing data from Bloomberg and the Chinese Department of Energy, Semafor says that China built out infrastructure capable of generating nearly 217 gigawatts of power last year, to make for a total capacity of more than 609 gigawatts. America’s solar capacity pales in comparison at a mere 175 gigawatts. (For perspective, a gigawatt is enough energy to power about 100 million LED light bulbs.)
Though the Biden Administration has encouraged the development of the U.S. solar industry through tax credits and other incentives — three quarters of all new American energy capacity earlier this year came from the sun — it has also taken aim at weakening the influence of China’s counterpart. Some of the Biden tech tariffs that have rewarmed trade tensions between the two countries are directed at Chinese solar equipment because the U.S. believes it is being made too cheaply and too quickly for stateside manufacturers to compete.
“The tariff increase will protect against China’s policy-driven overcapacity that depresses prices and inhibits the development of solar capacity outside of China,” the administration said in a statement on the tariffs.