Solar panels overtake coal as China’s biggest source of power capacity

CHINA: Solar panels have overtaken coal as China’s top source of power capacity as solar installations reached 1,286 gigawatts by the end of July, or 31.5% of the country’s total, Bloomberg reported, citing a China Central Television report based on data from the National Energy Administration.

The gap between the two was just one gigawatt at the end of June, according to the China Electricity Council.

China’s solar generation rose 15.5% year-on-year (YoY) to 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours in the first seven months of the year, with investment in the sector expected to exceed two trillion yuan (S$379.6 billion) over the next five years.

While the country remains a major player in the global solar supply chain, new solar installations have slowed this year following changes to the revenue policy for wind and solar projects. Before the policy took effect, China had added 93 gigawatts of solar capacity in May 2025 alone, compared with only 86 gigawatts in the first seven months of 2026.

In April, International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol said countries could turn to renewables such as solar and wind “within a few months”, as they can be installed quickly amid what he called the world’s worst energy crisis from the Middle East war.

That same month, solar firms in Singapore said they saw more solar panel installations and enquiries from landed homeowners, condominium residents and commercial clients. /TISG

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