China turned away enough clean energy to power Mexico for a year in the six months through June as its grids hit their limits. This issue is not unique to China, as networks in many other nations such as Australia and Japan also failed to keep pace with a surging renewables buildout.

Curtailments on the Rise

Curtailments, or the pre-emptive rejection of wind or solar power because a grid reaches capacity, are emerging as a growing challenge to renewables globally. China, the world’s top producer of solar power, rejected 360 terawatt-hours (TWh) of clean power from January to June, up 49% from the same period a year earlier.

Insufficient transmission infrastructure and supply contracts that guarantee operations of newly built coal-fired power plants in China are forcing the rejection of abundant renewable output, analysts say. This has contributed to a 66% drop in new solar installations this year in China.

Global Impact

Rising curtailment extends beyond China, to the rest of the Asia Pacific and Europe. In Australia’s National Electricity Market, curtailments surged 37% to 2.93 TWh, or 7% of its wind and solar output, in the first half of 2026. Japan’s grid rejected 2.35 TWh — a jump of 34% and representing 4% of renewable output.

India, the No.3 global solar generator, curtailed 8.13 TWh of solar power in the quarter ended June, its renewable energy minister said. Efficient deployment and an immediate scale-up of battery storage could help stall curtailment globally.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.