Solar Takes the Lead: China’s Power Grid Now Driven Mainly by Solar

 In a major milestone for China’s rapid renewable energy expansion, solar power has officially surpassed coal as the country’s largest source of installed electricity capacity.

 Official figures from China’s National Energy Administration reveal that solar capacity climbed to 1,286 gigawatts (GW) by the end of July 2026, representing 31.5% of the nation’s total power generation capacity.

The figure puts solar ahead of coal-fired power capacity, which stood at about 1,275 GW at the end of June.

Solar capacity had been just below coal a month earlier, at 1,274 GW.

The development comes as China continues to expand renewable energy as part of efforts to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

Earlier this year, coal’s share of China’s total electricity generation fell below 50% for the first time on record.

Official data showed coal accounted for 49.7% of electricity generation during the first half of 2026, while renewable energy sources produced 41.2% of the country’s electricity.

Wind and solar combined accounted for almost a quarter of total power generation.

However, the rise of solar does not mean China is abandoning coal.

Coal-fired power remains important for supplying electricity to the country’s large industrial sector and helping maintain the reliability of the national grid.

China’s renewable energy expansion has also faced challenges, including grid constraints and an increase in the amount of solar and wind electricity that cannot be used because of limited grid capacity.

Despite these difficulties, the growth in solar capacity highlights the scale of China’s renewable energy investment.

 The country has rapidly expanded solar and wind installations in recent years, helping increase the contribution of non-fossil energy to its electricity system.