By the top of July 2026, China had put in 1,288 GW of solar energy, simply forward of coal-fired capability at 1,285 GW. Official Chinese language power information exhibits photo voltaic shifting previous coal on this measure for the primary time, a symbolic shift for the world’s largest emitter and a clean-tech powerhouse.
Photo voltaic now accounts for 31.5% of put in capability, in response to the identical official Chinese language power information. However put in capability isn’t the identical as era. Photo voltaic runs far fewer hours than coal, so coal nonetheless produces extra electrical energy. Even so, wind and photo voltaic reached 24.6% of era within the first half of 2026, whereas coal fell to 49.7%, first time it has dropped beneath half, in response to that very same official information.
When you’ve been watching China’s EV growth, these numbers match the broader image. New power autos made up 65.1% of July gross sales. Charging factors have been up 41.9% from a yr earlier, reaching 23.68 million. Photo voltaic can be nonetheless being constructed even after feed-in tariffs ended, as a result of it stays low cost and strategically vital, in response to official Chinese language information.
None of this implies coal is disappearing. Coal use has nonetheless edged increased as demand rises and gasoline costs keep elevated, and new coal vegetation together with long-term contracts nonetheless maintain again renewables in what some describe as addition reasonably than transition. Extra storage ought to assist. China had 136 GW of latest power storage on the finish of 2025, up 84%, in response to official Chinese language power information.
