China’s Q1 2026 solar additions fell to 41.39 GW AC, down from 59.71 GW AC a year earlier, says the NEA
Installations in March 2026 were 8.91 GW AC, following 32.48 GW AC in Jan–Feb this year
CPIA had earlier forecast a drop of 24% to 43% in 2026 solar demand as China transitions to a market-based pricing system
China added 41.39 GW AC of new solar PV capacity in Q1 2026, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA), representing a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 18.47 GW in absolute terms.
The NEA previously pegged Q1 2025 solar PV installations at 59.71 GW AC (see China Installs Close To 60 GW Of New Solar In Q1 2025).
New installations in the months of January and February 2026 totaled 32.48 GW AC, which means China installed 8.91 GW AC in the month of March (see China Solar Demand Significantly Down in First 2 Months).
China’s Q1 quarterly solar PV additions have declined for the 1st time in the last 5 years. Last year, the country expanded by a record 315.07 GW AC capacity, thanks to the rush to install before the June 1, 2025, deadline when the market transitioned to a market-oriented pricing system (see China Sets New Annual Solar PV Installation Record In 2025).
Installations are likely to be tepid this year, according to the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), which forecasts annual deployments this year to drop between 24% and 43% from last year’s levels as the market adjusts to the pricing transition.
The association pegs annual capacity in 2026 to range within 180 GW AC to 240 GW AC, but it may be subject to change as the year progresses, as has been the trend with the CPIA, especially as the country targets 10 large clean-energy bases in the 15th Five-Year Plan (see CPIA: China Solar Installations To Dip In 2026 Before Resuming Growth).
On a cumulative basis, China’s total power generation capacity at the end of March 2026 reached 3.96 TW AC, representing a 15.5% annual increase. To this, solar PV contributes 1.24 TW AC, having increased by 31.3% YoY, while wind energy capacity of 660 GW AC rose by 22.4%.
Together, both solar PV and wind energy represent 1.9 TW AC capacity in the total power mix. The country now needs 1.7 TW AC more to achieve its 3.6 TW AC combined target for the 2 technologies by 2035 (see China Announces 3.6 TW AC Solar & Wind Target For 2035).