Two very different headlines on solar hit the industry. In the United States, federal officials cancelled a proposed mega-solar project in Nevada that would have been among the nation’s largest. In China, state planners and companies finished a vast solar cluster on the Tibetan Plateau that will power millions of homes.
These moves show how policy choices shape where clean energy grows, and how fast the world decarbonizes.
A Giant U.S. Project Goes Dark
U.S. officials have formally stopped the environmental review of the Esmeralda 7 solar project. The plan bundled seven utility-scale sites in Nevada into one program.
Developers had proposed as much as 6.2 gigawatts of solar capacity. At full size, that output would have been enough to power roughly 2 million homes.
The project covered a very large area of public land and drew both praise and criticism. Supporters claimed it would create thousands of construction jobs. It could also lower power costs and provide unmatched clean energy for a quickly electrifying economy. Critics raised concerns about the impacts on local ecosystems, cultural sites, and rural communities.
The Bureau of Land Management marked the project’s programmatic review as “cancelled.” The Department of the Interior has also ordered heightened review for all solar and wind projects on federal land.
That new review process, policymakers say, is intended to improve oversight and protect sensitive areas. Industry groups and renewable advocates say it introduces long delays and uncertainty.
The timing matters. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects record power capacity additions in 2025. They project about 64 gigawatts total, with solar providing over 30 gigawatts.
Canceling a 6-gigawatt project cuts off a key source of new clean power. This is especially important in the West, where transmission and land are already tight.
- SEE MORE: Renewables 2025: How China, the US, Europe, and India Are Leading the World’s Clean Energy Growth
China Builds at High Altitude and High Speed
Meanwhile, China completed a massive solar buildout on the Tibetan Plateau. The complex spans about 162 square miles (420 square kilometers) and has millions of photovoltaic panels. These panels can generate around 20 gigawatts (GW) of electricity. That’s roughly three times more capacity than the Hoover Dam’s output.
This huge project can supply power to about 7 million homes. It will also reduce CO₂ emissions by over 15 million tonnes every year, as stated by China’s National Energy Administration (NEA). It reflects how quickly the country can mobilize resources for large-scale clean energy builds.
To balance power output, the site connects to battery storage and nearby hydropower dams, part of China’s “solar-hydro hybrid” model. This combination stabilizes the electricity supply during cloudy or nighttime hours.
China’s solar expansion has grown at record speed.
In 2024 alone, the country added more than 216 GW of new solar capacity — more than the entire installed solar capacity of the U.S. and Europe combined. China now hosts over 50% of global solar capacity and manufactures nearly 80% of the world’s solar panels.
These investments are part of Beijing’s plan to reach 1,200 GW of combined solar and wind power by 2030. The International Energy Agency says China might hit this target five years early. The Tibetan Plateau cluster marks a milestone in this race.
Why the Two Stories Matter Together
Taken alone, each story is local. Together, they reveal a strategic divergence. Policy choices matter. Where governments enable big projects, industry responds by building big systems. Where governments slow approvals or restrict land use, projects stall.
This divergence has three key effects:
Supply and scale:
Large projects require long lead times, major financing, and clear permits. China’s approach of centralized planning and direct support helps deliver very large arrays quickly. In the U.S., a shift to stricter review raises the risk that big projects will be fragmented or moved to private land, which costs more and takes longer to permit.
Grid and reliability:
Both countries face grid challenges. China pairs solar with storage and other generation to stabilize supply. In the U.S., many planned projects were meant to serve the growing load from data centers, electrification, and industry. Canceling megaprojects raises questions about where the new generation will come from as demand grows.
Jobs and industry:
Large builds create local employment and supply-chain work. China’s build supports domestic manufacturers and exporters. U.S. cancellations slow job creation tied to utility-scale construction and long-run operations.
The numbers behind the divide:
The table below compares the two major countries’ solar achievements.
What industry leaders say
Renewable developers and industry groups warn that regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. will raise costs. When approvals take longer, financing becomes pricier, and contracts get riskier. That often shifts projects to smaller or more expensive sites or pauses them altogether.
Chinese state planners argue that their model supports rapid scaling at low cost. They deploy centralized planning, preferential financing, and coordinated transmission development to speed builds. Critics cite environmental trade-offs and questions about long-term sustainability, including impacts on fragile high-altitude ecosystems and local communities.
What It Means for the Global Energy Race
The contrast between China’s rapid expansion and the U.S. cancellation highlights how clean energy progress depends on stable rules and consistent incentives.
To reach global net-zero targets by 2050, the world needs to add around 1,000 GW of solar power every year starting in 2030, according to the IEA. Current growth rates fall short of that pace, especially in countries where permitting and financing slow development.
If the U.S. tightens rules on public land projects, developers might look to private land, offshore wind, or rooftop solar. Each option has trade-offs: higher costs, slower scale-up, or smaller output per site.
On the other hand, still leads in manufacturing. In 2024, it invested over $100 billion in solar manufacturing capacity. If this trend continues, China could supply two-thirds of all new solar capacity worldwide by 2030. That would give it both economic leverage and a stronger position in global clean-tech exports.
Two headlines show how quickly the global picture can change. One nation canceled a project that would have been among its largest. Another completed a massive solar cluster that will serve millions. Both decisions grew out of domestic politics, planning choices, and local concerns. Also, both will affect how quickly the world cuts emissions.
The lesson is simple. To win the race to low-carbon power, countries need clear rules, reliable permitting, and sustained investment. When that policy mix is present, large projects get built. When it is not, they stall. The future of the green energy transition depends on which path more governments choose.
- FURTHER READING: Solar Now the World’s Cheapest Energy, Powering the Clean Transition