🌅 Wind and solar energy surpass coal power in China

🌅 Wind and solar energy surpass coal power in China

China's combined capacity for wind and solar power has for the first time exceeded coal. Solar energy is expected to surpass coal as China's primary energy source by 2026. China has reduced new coal power projects and is focusing on phasing out smaller coal power plants.

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  • China's combined capacity for wind and solar power has for the first time exceeded coal.
  • Solar energy is expected to surpass coal as China's primary energy source by 2026.
  • China has reduced new coal power projects and is focusing on phasing out smaller coal power plants.

Historic turning point in Chinese energy production

China has reached a milestone in its energy production. For the first time, the total capacity of wind and solar power projects has surpassed coal power in the country. This marks an important change for the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, reports Renew Economy.

According to data from China's National Energy Administration, the addition of wind and solar power has exceeded coal by a factor of 16 during the first half of 2024. During this period, only eight gigawatts of new coal power were added.

Since 2020, annual installations of wind and solar energy have consistently exceeded 100 gigawatts, which is three to four times more than the capacity increase for coal. This trend accelerated further last year when China set a new record with 293 gigawatts of new wind and solar power installations.

Rystad Energy predicts that solar energy will surpass coal as China's primary energy source as early as 2026. At that time, the cumulative capacity for solar energy is estimated to exceed 1.38 terawatts, which is 150 gigawatts more than coal power.

Reduction of coal power

While renewable energy is growing, China's coal power sector is declining. Last year, about 40 gigawatts of new coal power were added, but this figure dropped to only 8 gigawatts during the first half of 2024.

China has introduced stricter restrictions on new coal projects to meet its carbon reduction goals. The country's efforts now focus on phasing out smaller coal power plants, upgrading existing facilities to reduce emissions, and implementing stricter standards for new projects.

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