Core Insights - High temperatures have driven residential electricity demand, resulting in an 8.6% year-on-year increase in total electricity consumption in July [2] - The cumulative growth rate of new wind and solar installations has significantly declined after the installation rush, with a year-on-year increase of 79.4% for wind and 80.7% for solar from January to July [3] - Hydropower output was weak in July, while solar utilization rates improved on a month-on-month basis [4] Electricity Consumption - In July, total electricity consumption reached a historical high, exceeding 1 trillion kilowatt-hours for the first time, with a year-on-year growth of 8.6%, up from 5.4% in June [2] - Residential electricity consumption surged by 18.0% year-on-year in July, while secondary industry electricity demand rebounded to 4.7% [2] - High-energy-consuming regions saw a notable electricity consumption growth of 10.4%, while coastal regions experienced a decline to 6.0% due to extreme weather impacts [2] Power Generation and Investment - The installation of new renewable energy sources has slowed down, with cumulative new installations of wind and solar power showing a significant decrease in growth rates compared to the first half of the year [3] - From January to July, power generation investment totaled 428.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.4%, with thermal power investment rising by 52.4% [3] - Grid investment during the same period was 331.5 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 12.5% [3] Utilization Rates - Average utilization hours for power generation equipment in July were 302 hours, down 7.9% year-on-year [4] - Hydropower utilization hours decreased by 12.6% to 395 hours, while thermal power utilization hours increased slightly by 0.3% to 399 hours [4] - Solar utilization rates improved month-on-month, with July showing a 3.5% year-on-year increase in utilization hours [4]