Historic capacity milestone underpins nation's efforts in green transition
Technicians inspect PV equipment at a solar farm in Huanggang, Hubei province, on July 28, 2026. (WANG JIANG/FOR CHINA DAILY)
China's installed solar power capacity has surpassed coal for the first time to become the country's largest single power source, a historic milestone that fundamentally reshapes the nation's energy supply landscape and accelerates its ongoing green, carbon-cutting transition.
As of the end of July, China's total installed solar capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts, narrowly edging past the 1.285 billion kW of coal-fired capacity, said the National Energy Administration.
This massive footprint firmly secures China's position as the world's largest photovoltaic energy market. The country's solar power capacity now far exceeds that of the United States, India and Germany, and is significantly higher than the total installed photovoltaic capacity of the entire European Union, said the China Electricity Council.
