【SMM PV News】GCL Integration: Energy Storage Accounts for Small Share of Revenue Currently

On April 28, the China Electricity Council (CEC) projected that solar installed capacity will surpass coal power for the first time in 2026, with combined wind and solar making up half of the total capacity by year-end. New capacity in 2026 is forecast to exceed 400GW (new energy >300GW). Total capacity will hit ~4,300GW by late 2026, with non-fossil energy at ~63% and coal dropping to ~31%. Additionally, National Energy Administration data shows renewable capacity reached 2,395GW (60.4% of the total) by the end of March. In Q1, renewable power accounted for 37.1% of total generation, with wind and solar combined exceeding 23% of total social electricity consumption.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released its annual flagship report, *Global Energy Review 2026*, noting that in 2025, against a complex economic and geopolitical backdrop, global energy demand growth slowed down, yet electricity consumption continued to grow robustly. Meanwhile, global energy demand growth showed a diversifying trend, with solar PV becoming the largest source of global energy supply growth for the first time. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol stated that against a complex economic and geopolitical backdrop, global energy demand continued to grow in 2025, but a clear trend was that electrification levels across major economies were rising, driving electricity consumption growth far faster than overall energy demand. In today's rapidly changing energy landscape, countries that prioritize energy resilience and diversification are best positioned to cope with fluctuations and deliver secure and affordable energy in the years ahead.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has released a draft rule to modernize distribution network planning. The proposal replaces existing annual reports with five-year 'distribution network plans' covering a 20-year horizon, aimed at improving data accessibility for distributed energy resources like rooftop solar, batteries, and EVs. The reform seeks to lower curtailment by enabling targeted network upgrades. Data from the Clean Energy Council confirms Australia's rooftop solar capacity reached 28.3 GW by the end of 2025, with 4.3 million installations contributing 14.2% of total electricity generation in the second half of 2025. Stakeholder submissions for the proposal are due by June 4.