On wind power, China blows past rest of world

, Chief Europe Correspondent
Source: Global Wind Energy Council: Global Wind Auction Database and Status & Market Trends Report • Data looks at how much wind power capacity countries awarded for new projects in the first three months of 2025.

You could call it a blowout.  

China greenlit far more wind energy projects in the first three months of this year than any other country, according to data from the Global Wind Energy Council. 

Almost 40 gigawatts-worth of projects were approved globally in the first quarter of 2025 in competitive bidding processes, through which energy companies can bid for the right to build and operate wind power projects, often on government-allocated land or offshore areas.  

More than three-quarters of all new wind capacity approved for development globally between January and March of this year were approved in China. Germany and India were next with much lower shares: 10% and 8% respectively.  

The United States did not rank in the top seven leading markets for new wind project awards. U.S. President Donald Trump has made his disdain for the wind sector clear and temporarily halted federal permitting of new wind projects when he took office in January. 

The goal of allocating wind-power developments through auctions, which can look different depending on the country, is to encourage market competition that could drive down electricity prices. 

China has been dominant across the clean energy space for years, and it has installed more wind and solar capacity than any other country. Last year, it broke its own records for new renewables installations, reaching a total of 520 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind power capacity and 887 GW of solar power capacity.