China's solar power capacity has surpassed coal-fired generation for the first time. The National Energy Administration announced on September 1 that as of the end of July this year, China's solar power capacity reached 1,286 million kilowatts.
Solar power capacity is divided into two main categories: centralized solar power plants and distributed solar installations on rooftops and other locations. Centralized solar accounts for 707 million kilowatts, while distributed solar makes up 582 million kilowatts. This figure exceeds the coal-fired power capacity of 1,285 million kilowatts by approximately 1 million kilowatts, making solar the largest power source in China.
New installations of solar power continue to grow. In July alone, China added 13.73 million kilowatts of solar capacity, a 43% increase compared to the same month last year.
Capacity refers to the maximum amount of electricity that can be produced when power plants are operating at full capacity. This metric reflects total capacity and may differ from actual generation. Solar power generation decreases at night or on cloudy days, meaning that even with equal capacity to coal-fired power, the actual electricity output may vary.
From January to July this year, China's solar power generation reached 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours, a 15.5% increase from the same period last year. This growth rate is 10.8 percentage points higher than the overall electricity consumption growth rate of 4.7% in China during the same period. Solar power accounted for 13% of total electricity consumption in China from January to July, up 1.7 percentage points from the previous year. In the first half of this year, the share of electricity generated from coal-fired power plants was 49.7%.
The National Energy Administration stated that the continuous expansion of solar power plays a crucial role in ensuring electricity supply while promoting the transition of the energy structure.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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