China has seen an explosive growth in its renewable installation, with coal's share in its energy mix edging down in recent years.
China's solar energy capacity has surpassed that of coal-fired power for the first time ever.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
"As of the end of July this year, China's installed solar power capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts," China's National Energy Administration (NEA) said.
"For the first time, photovoltaic installed capacity surpassed coal-fired power, becoming the largest power source category in China," it added.
The country's coal-fired power installed capacity, the energy body said, stood at 1.285 billion kilowatts.
Solar generation rose 15.5 per cent in the first seven months of 2026 compared to the same period last year to 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours, about one-eighth of the country's total, the NEA said in another statement.
China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases that drive climate change, has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
It did not detail in these statements what the total generation of coal-powered energy was for the first seven months of this year.
The NEA said China's installed solar power capacity and power generation "have maintained a steady trend of rapid growth," with it playing an "increasingly prominent role" in guaranteeing electricity supply and driving the energy transition.
Coal has been China's key power generation source for decades and a key driver of planet-warming emissions.
But the country's coal-fired power generation fell by nearly two per cent in 2025, despite rising energy demand in the world's largest emitter, data reviewed by the AFP news agency showed in February.
It marked the first decline in six years, with some analysts saying it was the first time on record that coal generation dropped at the same time as power demand rose.
China has seen an explosive growth in its renewable installation, with coal's share in its energy mix edging down in recent years.
The country installed a record 315 gigawatts of solar power and 119 gigawatts of wind power capacity last year, over 80 per cent of total newly installed power generation capacity, according to the China Electricity Council.
How does Europe compare to China on energy generation?
EU countries are trailing behind China when it comes to renewables, partly because China started their transition to clean energy much sooner. As an example, in 2023 China installed between 180 and 230 gigawatts of solar, compared to 58 gigawatts in all European countries combined.
China's ownership of clean technology parts and patents makes a big difference to how quickly and cheaply they can install, as well as cheaper labour.
China's energy grid is also more efficient at handling energy from multiple sources, where as Europe's grid has been called "outdated". Hybridisation has been recommended as a solution.
