On September 1, the National Energy Administration announced that China’s installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity had, for the first time, surpassed coal-fired power capacity, making solar power the country’s largest source of installed generating capacity.
As of the end of July this year, China’s installed PV capacity had reached 1.286 billion kilowatts, including 704 million kilowatts of utility-scale solar and 582 million kilowatts of distributed solar. Coal-fired power capacity stood at 1.285 billion kilowatts.
Pictured on August 27 is a distributed PV project in Wudou Village, Sanxing Township, Shizhu County, Chongqing, photographed by drone. Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Wei.
“This is a landmark development in China’s transition toward a greener, lower-carbon energy system,” said Liu Zhiqiang, deputy director of the Planning and Development Department of the China Electricity Council. A new power system centered on renewable energy is being built at an accelerating pace.
Pictured on January 6, 2025, is part of the Shichengzi PV Industrial Park in Hami, Xinjiang, photographed by drone. Xinhua News Agency (photographed by Feng Yang).
In recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly addressed green energy and the photovoltaic industry, including the following remarks:
February 29, 2024 — 12th Collective Study Session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee (New Energy Technologies and Energy Security)
“China has abundant resources for wind and solar power and enormous potential for developing renewable energy. After years of sustained research and development, many of our new-energy technologies and manufacturing capabilities are now world-leading. We have built the world’s largest clean-power supply system, while new-energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and PV products have developed strong competitiveness in international markets. China’s renewable-energy sector is now on a solid foundation, and our country has become an important driver of the global energy transition and the international response to climate change.
“Energy security is vital to the overall development of the economy and society. Actively developing clean energy and promoting a green, low-carbon transition have become a broad consensus in the international community as it responds to global climate change. We must seize the moment and build on this momentum, stepping up efforts to promote the high-quality development of new energy in China, provide a secure and reliable energy foundation for Chinese modernization, and make a greater contribution to building a clean and beautiful world.
“We must keep pace with the global frontier of energy science and technology, focus on key areas and major needs in the energy sector, choose appropriate technological pathways, leverage the strengths of China’s new nationwide system for mobilizing resources, strengthen collaborative efforts to tackle core technologies, and accelerate the application of research成果. We should foster energy technologies and related industries as new drivers of industrial upgrading and promote the development of new quality productive forces.
July 7–8, 2025 — Inspection tour of Shanxi
“While fulfilling our responsibility to ensure a secure supply of coal for national power generation, we must move the coal industry from low-end production toward higher-value applications and transform coal products from basic fuels into higher-value products. At the same time, we should work to build China into a major, high-standard energy and raw-material base, develop wind power, solar power, hydrogen energy, and other forms of energy in a coordinated manner, and build a new energy system.
“Advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee after careful consideration. It is a solemn commitment we have made to the international community, as well as an inherent requirement for transforming and upgrading the economic structure, building competitive advantages in green and low-carbon industries, and achieving high-quality development. This is not something others are asking us to do; it is something we must do ourselves.
“Our commitment to the ‘dual-carbon’ goals is firm and unwavering. But the pathway, methods, pace, and intensity for achieving those goals should—and must—be determined by us. We will not allow others to dictate them.
“Based on China’s energy-resource endowment, we must establish the new before dismantling the old and implement carbon-peaking actions in a planned and phased manner.
“Accelerating the development of a clean, low-carbon, secure, and highly efficient energy system is the main direction of China’s energy revolution.”
In terms of the energy mix, as of the end of July this year, China’s total installed power-generation capacity had reached 4.08 billion kilowatts, with PV accounting for more than 30% of total capacity. From January through July, the country added 193.97 million kilowatts of new generating capacity, including 85.65 million kilowatts of new PV capacity—more than 40% of the total.
In terms of industrial development, China has established a complete PV value chain covering R&D, design, and integrated manufacturing. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China repeatedly broke world records for indicators such as PV conversion efficiency, while continuing to upgrade its technology and rapidly reduce costs.
Pictured on September 2, 2025, is the Shufang New Energy Mega Base in Hangjin Banner, located in the Kubuqi Desert, photographed by drone. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Zhipeng.
It is important to note, however, that installed capacity does not equal actual electricity generation. From January through July this year, China’s PV power generation totaled 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 13% of total national electricity consumption.
“PV generation is constrained by the day-night cycle and weather conditions, making it highly intermittent and variable. Its utilization hours are far lower than those of coal-fired power. In the short term, coal-fired power will remain a major source of system support in China and will continue to provide a critical safety net for power-system security,” Liu Zhiqiang said.
How, then, can China turn its advantage in installed capacity into stable and reliable power-supply capacity? Several energy-sector plans recently issued for the 15th Five-Year Plan period lay out specific measures for ensuring that renewable energy can better support the security of the power system.
Pictured on August 19 in Gongdao Town, Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, is a fishery-solar hybrid power-generation project operated by Yangzhou Jieyuan Power Generation Co., Ltd., photographed by drone. Xinhua News Agency (photographed by Ren Fei).
For example, the 15th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development calls for China’s annual renewable-energy generation to reach around 6 trillion kilowatt-hours by 2030, with annual wind and solar generation exceeding 4 trillion kilowatt-hours. The plan also sets, for the first time, targets and tasks for enhancing the reliable replacement capacity of renewable electricity.
Editor: Grace
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