China expanded its installed solar power capacity by 41.4 GW in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, solar capacity addition dropped 41.7% from 70.97 GW.

The country’s cumulative installed power generation capacity reached 3,960 GW by the end of March 2026, a 15.5% YoY increase, according to data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA).

Solar power capacity reached 1,242 GW, accounting for a significant share of the total and growing 31.3% YoY. Wind power capacity stood at 656 GW, up 22.4% from the same period last year.

Around 15.8 GW of new wind capacity was added during the January-March period.  Unlike solar, wind installations during the quarter showed a modest increase YoY, reflecting more stable growth in this segment.

Together, solar and wind accounted for a substantial share of the total new power capacity additions, reinforcing the continued importance of renewables in the overall energy mix.

From January to March, the average utilization of power generation equipment was 703 hours, down 66 hours from the same period last year.

Solar and wind capacity expanded faster than total installed power capacity during the first quarter.

China added 311 GW of solar and 119 GW of wind power capacity in 2025. These additions were the highest on record. In all, China installed an additional 543 GW of new energy capacity from both conventional and renewable sources during the year, a 16.1% YoY increase. The total installed capacity from all sources was 3,890 GW at the end of 2025.

In January this year, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued compliance guidance in Hefei, Anhui Province, to regulate the order of price competition in the solar industry. SAMR briefed participants on price-related violations and risks in the solar sector, noting that current problems, such as low-quality competition and homogeneous, repetitive capacity expansion, have led to widespread profitability challenges.