en.Wedoany.com Reported - Chinese authorities have indicated that the country's installed solar capacity is expected to surpass that of coal power as early as this quarter. As of the end of June 2026, the national solar power installed capacity stood at approximately 1,274 gigawatts, while the total installed coal power capacity was around 1,275 gigawatts, with the two having essentially reached parity.

According to an interim report released by the China Electricity Council (CEC), by the end of June, total solar installed capacity had caught up with coal, effectively tying with it as China's primary source of electricity. The report stated that renewable energy has become the main driver of newly added power capacity. Hou Wenjie, director of the CEC's Statistics and Data Department, said that in the first half of 2026, China's non-fossil fuel power generation increased by 8.5% year-on-year, with its increment accounting for 70.7% of the total increase in national power generation.

Official data released this week showed that in the first half of 2026, coal's share of China's power generation fell below 50% for the first time, averaging 49.7%. Data from the National Energy Administration (NEA) also showed that renewable energy generation increased by approximately 9% year-on-year, accounting for 41.2% of China's total power generation, with wind and solar combined contributing nearly 25% of total generation.

Although coal's share of power generation has fallen below half, China's industrial electricity consumption and grid reliability still depend on coal power.