Energy Insiders - a RenewEconomy Podcast China’s clean energy surge reshapes coal, oil and the grid
Feb 27, 2026
Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst and co-founder at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, studies China’s energy transition and air pollution. He discusses China’s record solar and wind build and how clean energy now drives a large share of economic growth. They cover electricity demand drivers, battery and storage surge, new coal capacity dynamics, transmission limits and market reform.
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Official Stats Understate China's Solar And Wind Output
- Official industrial statistics miss about half of China's solar and much new wind because they exclude small or new firms by turnover thresholds.
- That reporting gap created underestimates of VRE generation and confusion about actual output.
Design Projects For New Auction And Spot Market Rules
- Prepare wind and solar projects for market exposure under auctions and contracts for difference which now replace the coal benchmark price.
- Expect capture prices to align with spot markets and design projects for shallower provincial markets.
Market Structure, Not Just VRE Share, Drives Low Daytime Prices
- Wind and solar are being exposed faster to spot market signals than coal, causing unexpectedly low midday prices even at relatively low VRE shares.
- The shallow spot market and coal contracts, not VRE share alone, drive this price behavior.