China Powers Market for Solar Energy

WUHAN, CHINA - MAY 15: Chinese workers from Wuhan Guangsheng Photovoltaic Company work on a solar panel project on the roof of a 47 story building in a new development on May 15, 2017 in Wuhan, China. China consumes more electricity than any other nation, but it is also the world's biggest producer of solar energy. Capacity in China hit 77 gigawatts in 2016 which helped a 50% jump in solar power growth worldwide. China is now home to two-thirds of the world's solar production, though capacity and consumption remain low relative to its population. Still, the country now buys half of the world's new solar panels Ñ which convert sunlight into energy, and are being installed on rooftops in cities and across sprawling fields in rural areas. Greenpeace estimates that by 2030, renewable energy could replace fossil fuels as China's primary source of power, a significant change in a country considered the world's biggest polluter. China's government has officially committed to development of renewable energies to ease the countryÕs dependence on coal and other fossil fuels, though its strategic investments in the solar panel have created intense global competition. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)