Technicians check solar panels in Chuzhou, Anhui province. SONG WEIXING/FOR CHINA DAILY
China's energy sector has crossed a historic threshold, with coal-fired power generation accounting for less than 50 percent of the nation's total electricity output for the first time, according to official data.
Coal power generation stood at 2.5 trillion kilowatt-hours in the first six months, bringing its share down to 49.7 percent, said Xing Yiteng, deputy director-general of the National Energy Administration's development planning department, during a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.
"Falling below 50 percent of total power generation for the first time is a landmark achievement in China's long-term push for renewable energy alternatives, signaling a new breakthrough in the country's green and low-carbon transition," Xing said.
The NEA said the nation's expansion of renewable energy continued at a rapid pace. As of end-June, the combined installed capacity of wind and solar power reached 1.95 billion kilowatts, up 16.8 percent year-on-year.
