According to official data from China's National Energy Administration, the nation's solar photovoltaic power generation capacity hit 1.286 billion kilowatts by the end of July, with centralized solar farms accounting for 704 million kilowatts and distributed solar installations for 582 million kilowatts. This marks the first time solar capacity has surpassed coal power, which stood at 1.285 billion kilowatts, making solar the largest power source category in the country.

In July alone, newly added solar capacity reached 13.73 million kilowatts, representing a 43% year-on-year increase. Over the January-to-July period, cumulative new solar installations totaled 85.65 million kilowatts, down 62% from the same period last year—a decline primarily attributed to the high comparison base resulting from the rush to install capacity between January and May of 2025 due to policy incentives.

Solar power generation during the first seven months surged to 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours, up 15.5% year-on-year, outpacing the growth rate of total national electricity consumption by 10.8 percentage points. Solar's share of the country's total electricity consumption rose to 13%, an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared to the full-year figure for last year.

In recent years, solar power capacity and generation have maintained a robust growth trajectory, playing an increasingly vital role in securing power supply and accelerating the energy transition.