Solar Overtakes Coal as China’s Biggest Power Source by Capacity

China’s installed solar power capacity has surpassed coal for the first time, becoming the country’s largest single power source.

China had 1,286 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity at the end of July, slightly above 1,285 GW of coal-fired capacity, according to data released Tuesday by the National Energy Administration. Solar accounted for 31.5% of the country’s total installed power-generation capacity.