On the Gobi Desert in the Hexi Corridor, photovoltaic panels lie like a serene blue ocean, translating the scorching sun into electricity and delivering it to thousands of households. Coal power, which once held the top spot in China's electricity industry for a long time, has now been surpassed by photovoltaics on the installed capacity list, becoming a milestone in the country's energy transformation.

According to data released by the National Energy Administration on September 1, 2026, as of the end of July 2026, China's installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation reached 1.286 billion kilowatts, including 704 million kilowatts of centralized photovoltaic and 582 million kilowatts of distributed photovoltaic; The installed capacity of coal-fired power plants during the same period was 1.285 billion kilowatts. For the first time, photovoltaics have surpassed coal-fired power plants in terms of installed capacity, becoming the largest category of power sources in China, accounting for over 30% of the total installed capacity of 4.08 billion kilowatts. The installed capacity of a single country remains the world's largest.

In July 2026, the newly installed capacity of photovoltaics reached 13.73 million kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 43%, and the monthly pace has warmed up again. But from January to July, a total of 85.65 million kilowatts were added, a year-on-year decrease of 62% - mainly due to the industry's rush to install before the policy switch from January to May 2025, which pushed up the base for the same period; After the tide of rush to install, new additions have returned to normal, and the industry is shifting from policy driven to market driven.

The increase in installed capacity is directly converted into electricity contribution. From January to July 2026, the photovoltaic power generation will reach 802.4 billion kilowatt hours, a year-on-year increase of 15.5%, which is 10.8 percentage points higher than the growth rate of electricity consumption in the whole society; Photovoltaic power accounts for 13% of the total electricity consumption in society, an increase of 1.7 percentage points from 2025. About 1 kWh of electricity comes from sunlight for every 8 kWh of electricity.keywords:New energy information network

The peak of photovoltaics does not mean the departure of coal-fired power. Photovoltaics are subject to intermittent effects from day, night, and weather, with utilization hours much lower than coal-fired power plants. In the short term, coal-fired power plants still play a role in peak shaving, and the upgrading of the new generation of coal-fired power plants is being promoted simultaneously. But the trend is clear: the focus of China's power construction is accelerating towards a new type of power system dominated by new energy. To truly connect photovoltaics in the future, it is not just about installing more, but also about being able to store, deliver, and use them stably.Editor/Yang Meiling