Solar Overtakes Coal As China's Largest Power Source
The short version
- Solar power capacity in China stood at 1,286 gigawatts (GW) at the end of July, Chinese media cited the country's National Energy Administration as saying on Tuesday.
- Thus, solar capacity accounted for 31.5% of total installed power generation in China as of July 31.
- In July, Chinese authorities said that China would have more installed solar power capacity than coal-fired generation capacity as early as this quarter.
- As of the end of June, solar power capacity stood at 1,274 GW, just below the total coal-fired installed capacity of 1,275 GW .
- The solar capacity has now risen to 1,286 GW, exceeding coal as the single biggest electricity capacity.
The story
Authored by Tsvetana Paraskova via OilPrice.com,
Solar power has just become the single largest electricity capacity source in China, toppling coal in a landmark achievement of the Chinese renewable energy rollout.
Solar power capacity in China stood at 1,286 gigawatts (GW) at the end of July, Chinese media cited the country's National Energy Administration as saying on Tuesday.
Thus, solar capacity accounted for 31.5% of total installed power generation in China as of July 31.
In July, Chinese authorities said that China would have more installed solar power capacity than coal-fired generation capacity as early as this quarter.
As of the end of June, solar power capacity stood at 1,274 GW, just below the total coal-fired installed capacity of 1,275 GW.
The solar capacity has now risen to 1,286 GW, exceeding coal as the single biggest electricity capacity.
Official Chinese data showed earlier in July that the share of coal in China's electricity output fell in the first half of 2026 to below 50% for the first time on record, in a landmark achievement of the Chinese policy to boost non-fossil power sources.
The share of coal averaged 49.7% of China's total electricity output in the first half of this year, official data showed.
As the share of coal slipped, electricity generation from renewable energy rose by about 9% from a year earlier, according to the data from China's National Energy Administration (NEA).
Renewable energy accounted for 41.2% of China's total electricity generation in the first half of 2026, with wind and solar combined generating almost 25% of the total power output.
Despite the milestone of reducing coal power output to below 50% of total generation for the first time ever, China continues to rely on coal for power for industry and to maintain the reliability of the power grids.
Moreover, the renewable energy boom has slowed in recent months amid policy changes, while grid constraints and rising coal-fired generation have led to soaring curtailment rates of solar and wind power generation.
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