Solar power is set to overtake coal in China for the first time in 2026, according to the China Electricity Council.
However, drawing on the latest analysis from Global Energy Monitor, environmental campaign group, 350.org, has warned that this historic turning point – which confirms renewables have decisively won on economic grounds – risks being undermined by China’s continued, record-level coal build-out.
“The Chinese coal expansion is unnecessary, increases the risk of stranded assets, and stands in stark contradiction to the country’s own clean-energy success,” criticises the group.
China’s installed solar power capacity is projected to surpass coal for the first time this year, according to the China Electricity Council. By the end of 2026, non-fossil energy sources – primarily solar and wind – will make up 63% of China’s power capacity, while coal drops to just 31%.
Latest numbers by the Global Energy Monitor show that developers submitted proposals to build a total of 161 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power plants in 2025 alone.
291 GW of coal power capacity remains in China’s pipeline, already permitted or under construction according to Global Energy Monitor.
Andreas Sieber, 350.org Head of Political Strategy, said: “This is a historic turning point: solar power is set to overtake coal in China for the first time in 2026. This is maybe the clearest demonstration yet that clean energy has won – on cost, scale, and air quality. However, China is responding to coal’s economic defeat by building more of it.
“With around 290 GW of new coal capacity already permitted or under construction, and another record year for approvals, the country is schizophrenically proving coal is obsolete while rushing to entrench it. This mostly serves a coal industry racing against time. The consequence is predictable: stranded assets, higher system costs, and a transition made harder.”