Alec Stapp’s chart isn’t just data—it’s a geopolitical pulse check. China is gobbling up global electricity capacity like it’s at an all-you-can-generate buffet, now pushing past 2,500 GW while the U.S. idles near 1,300 GW. That’s not just scale—it’s intent. China is building everything: solar fields that can be seen from orbit, wind farms taller than skyscrapers, and yes, still some coal, because energy security’s their religion.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is making respectable renewable gains, but in relative terms? It’s bringing a garden hose to a fire hydrant fight. China’s capacity additions are so massive they’ve turned the global clean energy transition into a national industrial strategy—and they’re winning. Fast.

Why does this matter? Because whoever electrifies fastest sets the rules. They control the tech, the supply chains, and the climate narrative. The chart is the plot twist: the West keeps talking net zero, but China’s building it—at scale, at speed, and with steel.

Ignore the chart and you’ll miss the future. This isn’t just about electricity—it’s about leverage, emissions, and economic dominance.

And right now, Beijing’s playing chess. Washington? Still arguing over the rulebook.