“By the end of the year, wind and solar energy combined are projected to account for about half of China’s total installed power capacity, while coal’s share falls to around one-third, according to the China Electricity Council.”

Solar alone set to overtake next year.

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/china-solar-power-capacity-coal-first-time-b2912940.html

This, amid other reports of places where renewables are occasionally accounting for all generated electricity. (Makes the US position all the more painful, though the courts have reinstated some renewables projects)

3 hours ago, swansont said:

(Makes the US position all the more painful, though the courts have reinstated some renewables projects)

Not only US, Europe's push for solar also faltered, to some degree due to immense price pressure from China, but also other systemic issues. On the adoption side, once China became dominant, folks were hesitant to buy in and issued tariffs to protect their own companies, raising adoption prices in Western markets. While it might have been strategically prudent, it slowed the building of solar capacity.

1 hour ago, CharonY said:

Not only US, Europe's push for solar also faltered, to some degree due to immense price pressure from China, but also other systemic issues. On the adoption side, once China became dominant, folks were hesitant to buy in and issued tariffs to protect their own companies, raising adoption prices in Western markets. While it might have been strategically prudent, it slowed the building of solar capacity.

It’s true that new EU solar has contracted slightly, but it still installed ~65GW of capacity each of the last 3 years. More of a flattening as compared to the US. ~400 GW of installed capacity at end of ‘25, while the US was at ~240GW at the end of ‘24, yet the US uses about twice as much. So the EU is pretty far ahead in this.

https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-eu-hits-2025-solar-target-but-market-contraction-puts-2030-goal-at-risk

2 hours ago, swansont said:

It’s true that new EU solar has contracted slightly, but it still installed ~65GW of capacity each of the last 3 years. More of a flattening as compared to the US. ~400 GW of installed capacity at end of ‘25, while the US was at ~240GW at the end of ‘24, yet the US uses about twice as much. So the EU is pretty far ahead in this.

https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/new-report-eu-hits-2025-solar-target-but-market-contraction-puts-2030-goal-at-risk

Oh yes, I didn't meant that Europe is regressing (compared to the US). Rather, as you mentioned, there was a bit of a slowdown and that in spite of significant reduction in cost over the last years.

47 minutes ago, CharonY said:

Oh yes, I didn't meant that Europe is regressing (compared to the US). Rather, as you mentioned, there was a bit of a slowdown and that in spite of significant reduction in cost over the last years.

I think,in some countries there has been a problem in building enough grid for the increased electricity use.

Would that account for (some of?) the slowdown?

Edited 46 minutes ago46 min by geordief