China's Renewables Boom Faces Record Clean Power Curtailments

AI Summary

China is experiencing record levels of clean power curtailment during its renewable energy boom due to grid limitations and increased coal-fired power generation. From January to June, solar and wind power curtailment rose by 49% year-on-year, limiting the full potential of green energy growth.

Grid constraints and rising coal-fired power generation in China led to soaring curtailment rates of solar and wind power generation in the first half of the year. China curtailed as much as 360 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar and wind generation between January and June, up by 49% from a year earlier, a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) showed. All the clean electricity curtailed would have been enough to meet all of China's electricity demand growth in the first half of 2026 and allow…