China's installed photovoltaic (PV) power capacity has surpassed coal-fired power capacity for the first time, making PV the country's largest power source by installed capacity, the National Energy Administration said on Tuesday.
China's installed PV power capacity reached 1.286 billion kilowatts at the end of July, edging past coal-fired power capacity of 1.285 billion kilowatts, according to the administration.
By the end of July, PV power accounted for more than 30 percent of China's total installed power generation capacity. Measured by newly added capacity, the share rose to more than 40 percent in the first seven months, underscoring the rapid expansion of the PV sector.
"This achievement marks a historic reshaping of China's power supply structure. It ends coal-fired power's long-held position as the country's top power source. New energy is rapidly evolving from a backup resource into a core installed power source and the construction of a new-type power system centered on renewable energy is gathering pace," said Hao Yingjie, secretary-general of China Electricity Council.
But constrained by day-night cycles and weather conditions, the utilization hours of PV power remain far lower than those of coal-fired power, industrial insiders noted. In the short term, coal fired power will remain China's critical supporting resource and serve as the power system's safety backstop. To turn the advantages of large-scale installed new-energy capacity into stable and reliable power supply, it is crucial to speed up the construction of the new-type power system.
"Efforts will be made to enhance the power system's flexible regulation capability, strengthen the construction of a new-type power grid platform that promotes coordinated development of transmission, distribution, and microgrids, reinforce the large grid's capability to accommodate, allocate, and regulate new energy, improve the reliable substitution capacity of new energy, and drive the transformation of photovoltaic power from weather-dependent to dispatchable and predictable," said Hao.
China's photovoltaic power capacity overtakes coal-fired power for first time
