As of the end of July 2026, China’s photovoltaic power generation capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts, surpassing coal power’s 1.285 billion kilowatts for the first time, making it the largest installed power source category. This milestone marks a shift in new energy from a supplementary source to a mainstay of power generation, reflecting China’s competitive advantages across the entire value chain of the photovoltaic industry and its determination to promote global low-carbon energy transformation. Although coal power remains essential for system security due to its intermittent nature and limited duration, in the long term, by building a new type of power system, expanding energy storage capacity, and advancing technological innovation, photovoltaics will shift from being dependent on weather conditions to being controllable and predictable.
As of the end of July this year, China’s photovoltaic power generation capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts, exceeding coal power for the first time (1.285 billion kilowatts) and becoming the largest installed power source category. Hao Yingjie, secretary-general of the China Electricity Council, noted that this indicates a shift in new energy from being a supplementary source to becoming the main installed power source, confirming China’s competitive advantages across the entire value chain of the photovoltaic industry and its determination to promote global low-carbon energy transformation. Although photovoltaics is intermittent due to weather conditions, coal power will still play a role in ensuring system safety in the short term. However, in the future, by building a new type of power system, increasing energy storage capacity, and promoting technological innovation, photovoltaics will be able to shift from being dependent on weather to being “scheduling- and predictable.”