China’s installed capacity for wind and solar power has, for the first time, surpassed that of coal — a landmark moment in the country’s energy transition.
Source: Beijing Daily
China’s installed capacity for wind and solar power has, for the first time, surpassed that of coal — a landmark moment in the country’s energy transition. Data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA) on April 28 shows that by the end of March, wind and solar installations had increased 17.2% and 43.4% year-on-year, respectively. Their combined capacity now exceeds that of coal-fired plants, reflecting a decisive shift in how China powers its economy.
“Renewables have firmly taken the lead in new capacity additions,” said Pan Huimin, Deputy Director of the NEA’s Department of New and Renewable Energy. “This crossover — where wind and solar exceed coal — marks a historic inflection point, and it’s likely to become the new normal.”
In the first quarter, China added 76.75 gigawatts of renewable capacity, up 21% from a year ago and accounting for roughly 90% of all new power installations. Total renewable capacity reached 1.97 billion kilowatts, about 57.3% of the nation’s total installed capacity. Wind and solar alone hit 1.48 billion kilowatts, edging past coal’s 1.45 billion.
The shift toward clean energy is also being felt on the consumption side. In the first three months of the year, wind and solar generation made up more than 20% of national electricity usage — outpacing demand from both the services sector and residential users. As a result, non-fossil energy now accounts for roughly 40% of total electricity generation.
“The structure of energy consumption is clearly improving,” said Xing Yiteng, Deputy Director-General of the NEA’s planning department. He noted that the share of non-fossil sources in total installed capacity rose by 4.3 percentage points from a year earlier. Preliminary estimates also show a 1.5 percentage point gain in the share of non-fossil energy in overall consumption.
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