Solar eclipses coal as China's top power source

China's installed solar power capacity has surpassed coal for the first time to become the country's largest single power source, a historic milestone that fundamentally reshapes the nation's energy supply landscape and accelerates its ongoing green, carbon-cutting transition.

As of the end of July, China's total installed solar capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts, narrowly edging past the 1.285 billion kW of coal-fired capacity, said the National Energy Administration.

This massive footprint firmly secures China's position as the world's largest photovoltaic energy market. The country's solar power capacity now far exceeds that of the United States, India and Germany, and is significantly higher than the total installed photovoltaic capacity of the entire European Union, said the China Electricity Council.

Liu Zhiqiang, deputy director of the CEC's planning and development department, said this eclipsing achievement is a landmark event that lays a solid supply-side foundation for the nation's dual-carbon goals.

"With China rapidly building a new power system dominated by renewable energy, this structural adjustment on the generation side will drastically reduce the power sector's overall carbon emissions. The vast domestic market has fortified the resilience of China's photovoltaic supply chain, unleashing economies of scale that drive rapid technological iterations. This, in turn, consolidates the nation's global leadership in solar manufacturing, technical standards and engineering construction," Liu said.

Consequently, the role of coal-fired power is undergoing a profound structural shift. Rather than pursuing continuous output growth, coal is accelerating its transition from a foundational baseload provider to a flexible, more auxiliary supportive power source.

During midday peaks in frequent sunshine intensity, coal units now actively throttle down their output to make room for renewable energy absorption, Liu added.

Conversely, at night or during cloudy weather when solar generation plummets, coal plants rely on their rapid adjustability to swiftly ramp up and fill in grid gaps.

"While the average annual utilization hours of coal plants are trending downward to accommodate more renewables, their value in ensuring system security — such as providing rotational inertia and frequency support — has become even more prominent. Coal remains the 'ballast stone' of our power system's safe operation."

Despite surpassing the historic capacity threshold, experts caution that installed capacity does not necessarily directly translate into actual power generation. Because solar is inherently intermittent and its utilization hours remain much lower than fossil fuels, coal will temporarily remain the primary backbone for grid reliability.

To successfully convert this massive renewable capacity into steady, reliable electricity supplies, Liu suggests that China should scale up flexible grid resources, including pumped hydro, novel long-duration energy storage and next-generation upgrades for coal plants. Smart grid platforms — integrating main grids, distribution networks and micro-grids — are necessary to boost cross-regional and cross-seasonal power-sharing capabilities, he said, adding that through technical innovation, the nation should push solar power from being "weather-dependent" to being highly executable and predictable.

The CEC official also highlighted the critical need to refine and enhance electricity market mechanisms.

Hao Yingjie, secretary-general of the CEC, said this capacity milestone cements the foundation for China's dual-carbon goals of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.

"The continued expansion of solar power is steadily lowering the carbon intensity of the power sector, expanding the supply of green electricity and providing robust clean energy support for the electrification of industries and transportation," Hao said.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn