China wasted enough wind and solar power in the first half of this year to cover all new electricity demand, according to a report, as bottlenecks in grid absorption failed to stem a rebound in coal-fired generation.Though solar is poised to overtake coal as China’s largest source of installed power, an estimated 360 terawatt-hours of wind and solar electricity was curtailed in the first half – up 49 per cent year on year – according to a report released on Thursday by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and US-based non profit Global Energy Monitor (GEM).The curtailed energy exceeded the 258 terawatt-hours of power demand growth during the period, meaning all new electricity needs could have been met – and coal power generation reduced – if the clean energy had been absorbed into the grid, according to the report.Coal-fired power generation rebounded by 3.4 per cent year on year in the first half, reversing the 2025 decline.“On a national energy basis, available clean electricity was therefore sufficient to push down coal power generation,” said the report. “However, the figures show that the rebound in coal power generation reflected limits in grid integration, dispatch, and power trading rather than a national shortage of clean electricity.”Curtailment was concentrated in major power-exporting areas, including the northern border of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the mountainous plateau of northwest Qinghai province.Around 15 per cent to 30 per cent of wind and solar power in these areas was wasted in the year through June, compared with power-demanding regions like Guangdong and Zhejiang, where curtailment rates were below 3 per cent.