China added 14.08 GW of new solar PV capacity in July 2026, according to official statistics released by the National Energy Administration (NEA), marking a 28% year‑on‑year increase for the month. New wind power capacity also jumped sharply to 8.45 GW in July, soaring 271% compared with the same month a year earlier, signalling a monthly recovery for both renewable sectors.

Even with July’s monthly growth, cumulative solar PV additions for the January‑July 2026 period totalled 86.15 GW, a steep 61% drop year‑on‑year. Wind power new installations over the same seven‑month period fell 12% to 47.07 GW.

By the end of July 2026, China’s overall installed power capacity hit 4.08 TW, rising 11% year‑on‑year. Cumulative PV installed capacity reached 1 290 GW (+16.1% YoY), while wind power capacity stood at 690 GW (+19.5% YoY). Average utilisation hours for national power generation equipment in the first seven months came in at 1 671 hours, 135 hours lower than one year ago.

Industry analysts link the sharp year‑on‑year fall in cumulative PV deployments to China’s grid‑connected renewable power pricing reform launched in May 2025, which weighed on first‑half‑2026 installation volumes. July’s results, nevertheless, delivered a return to monthly expansion. Distributed PV, especially residential solar, has exceeded market expectations and is seen as a critical variable for full‑year output. Market forecasts put China’s 2026 annual PV installations within the 160 GW‑200 GW range.

At the end of June 2026, the combined cumulative installed capacity of wind and solar PV in China reached 1.98 TW, accounting for 48.4% of the country’s total power capacity. The figure highlights the continuously rising share of wind and solar within China’s national energy mix.