China’s installed solar capacity surpasses coal for the first time
China’s solar capacity reached 1.286 billion kW by end of July 2026, edging past coal’s 1.285 billion kW, the National Energy Administration reported.
Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels
China’s installed solar power capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts (kW) by the end of July 2026, edging past coal-fired capacity of 1.285 billion kW for the first time, China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) announced on September 1, 2026. The milestone, reported by Bloomberg and Hong Kong Free Press, makes solar the largest single category of installed power capacity in the world’s biggest electricity market, though coal still generates substantially more actual electricity because of how much more often coal plants run.
What the NEA reported
The NEA figures show solar generation rose 15.5% year-on-year in the first seven months of 2026, reaching 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours (TWh), about one-eighth of China’s total electricity generation over that period. Coal’s share of China’s total power generation fell below 50% in the first half of 2026, according to the same reporting. The capacity milestone reflects installed generating capacity, the maximum output plants could produce if run continuously, rather than the electricity actually delivered to the grid.
Capacity is not the same as generation
Coal plants in China typically run at a capacity factor of around 50%, meaning they generate electricity roughly half the time they could, while solar’s capacity factor is far lower, around 14%, because panels only produce power when the sun is out, according to Canary Media’s analysis of the data. That gap means coal still supplies substantially more electricity to China’s grid than solar despite the smaller installed capacity, even as solar’s capacity has overtaken coal’s for the first time. China’s grid also curtailed, or wasted, more than 25% of available wind and solar output in the first half of 2026, a reported 360 TWh, more than the United Kingdom’s total annual electricity consumption, according to Reuters reporting on the same NEA data cited by Canary Media. The curtailment stems largely from grid and battery-storage bottlenecks that limit how much variable renewable output the system can absorb, particularly in provinces distant from major demand centers.
| Metric | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Installed solar capacity | 1.286 billion kW | End of July 2026 |
| Installed coal capacity | 1.285 billion kW | End of July 2026 |
| Solar generation | 802.4 TWh (+15.5% YoY) | Jan-Jul 2026 |
| Coal share of generation | Below 50% | H1 2026 |
| Solar capacity factor (approx.) | ~14% | 2026 |
| Coal capacity factor (approx.) | ~50% | 2026 |
| Wind and solar curtailed | Over 25% (~360 TWh) | H1 2026 |
Source: China National Energy Administration, September 1, 2026; Canary Media analysis, September 4, 2026.
Context: curtailment remains the binding constraint
The capacity crossover follows a related trend Winss Solutions has tracked in China’s power sector: China’s CO2 emissions rose in 2026 as renewable curtailment climbed, reflecting how grid bottlenecks and storage shortfalls can blunt the emissions benefit of new renewable capacity even as that capacity keeps growing. Separately, China’s CO2 emissions fell 1% in the second quarter of 2026 as oil use dropped, showing the country’s overall emissions trend remains mixed rather than moving in a single direction. The NEA has not stated a target date for reducing wind and solar curtailment to below its recent rates.
Background
China’s National Energy Administration is the central government body responsible for tracking and regulating the country’s energy sector, including power generation capacity, grid planning and renewable-energy policy. China surpassed a related milestone in April 2025, when the NEA reported that combined installed solar and wind capacity first exceeded combined coal and gas capacity. The September 2026 announcement marks the first time solar capacity alone has exceeded coal capacity alone, a narrower but more closely watched threshold given coal’s historic dominance of China’s power mix. The NEA and grid operators continue to expand battery storage and transmission capacity to absorb more of the variable solar and wind output that current curtailment rates suggest the grid cannot yet fully use.
Sources: Bloomberg; Hong Kong Free Press; Canary Media
Featured image: photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
