China’s solar power capacity overtakes coal for 1st time

China's solar power capacity surpassed coal-fired power capacity for the first time, marking a milestone in the country's transition toward cleaner energy, official data showed Tuesday.

Solar power capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts at the end of July, edging past coal-fired capacity of 1.285 billion kilowatts, according to figures announced by China's National Energy Administration and reported by state-run Xinhua.

Solar power has consequently become China's largest electricity source in terms of installed capacity.

Centralized solar plants accounted for 704 million kilowatts of the total, while distributed photovoltaic systems made up 582 million kilowatts.

"This marks a milestone in China's green and low-carbon energy transition," said Liu Zhiqiang, an expert at the China Electricity Council.

China's total installed power-generation capacity stood at 4.08 billion kilowatts at the end of July, with solar power accounting for more than 30% of the total.

The country added 193.97 million kilowatts of generation capacity during the first seven months of the year. Solar accounted for 85.65 million kilowatts, or more than 40% of the newly installed capacity.

Installed capacity, however, does not directly correspond to electricity production because solar generation is affected by daylight hours and weather conditions.

Photovoltaic facilities generated 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity between January and July, equivalent to about 13% of China's total power consumption.

Coal-fired power is therefore expected to remain a key source of reliable electricity and provide support for grid stability in the short term.

China supplies more than 80% of the world's photovoltaic modules and about 70% of its wind-power equipment, according to Xinhua.