Vertically integrated solar PV manufacturer Tongwei Solar’s Meishan plant has been added to the Global Lighthouse Network 2025. This list, released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with McKinsey, recognizes leading manufacturing sites excelling in productivity, supply chain resilience, sustainability, talent development, and customer-centricity. Tongwei’s Meishan plant was among the 6 China-based factories added in this round out of a total of 12 worldwide. It is the only PV manufacturing facility to be named a Lighthouse Factory in the latest batch.
The release states, “The site deployed over 50 4IR use cases, mostly based on AI – machine learning to drive process optimization, genAI-enabled maintenance, and advanced AI algorithms to analyze defects. The transformation improved PCE by 12%, cut defect rates by 41%, reduced conversion costs by 37% and lowered CO2 emissions by 33%.”
In June, Tongwei announced that its cumulative module shipments had reached 100 GW (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Integrated PV manufacturer JinkoSolar has announced plans to sell an 80% stake in its ‘grandson’ company Zhejiang Jinko New Materials Co., Ltd. to PV paste supplier DKEM, while retaining the remaining 20% through its subsidiary. Zhejiang Jinko New Materials reported operating revenues of RMB 178.40 million ($24.9 million) in both 2024 and the first half of 2025, with net losses of RMB 7.38 million ($1.03 million) and RMB 11.35 million ($1.58 million) in the respective periods. By the end of H1 2025, the company’s net assets stood at RMB 25.06 million ($3.49 million). DKEM will acquire the 80% stake for RMB 80 million ($11.15 million), representing a nearly 400% premium over net asset value (NAV).
In May, DKEM announced its intention to acquire a 60% equity stake in Zhejiang Solamet (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The Heilongjiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission has issued its Implementation Plan for Deepening Market-Based Grid Pricing Reform of Renewables to Promote High-Quality Development. From December 31, 2025, all grid-connected renewable power, including centralized wind and solar PV, will, in principle, participate in the electricity market with prices set through transactions.
For projects connected before June 1, 2025, prices will remain linked to the former guaranteed purchase scheme, limited to the original contracted volumes. New projects coming online after this date will adopt a competitive bidding mechanism, with prices capped at the coal benchmark tariff and applied over a tentative 12-year period.
The plan also introduces a settlement system where grid companies will cover the shortfall if the market price falls below the mechanism price. While it encourages pairing renewables with energy storage that can later operate independently, the storage component will not be mandatory for new projects.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and National Energy Administration (NEA) have released the Guidelines on Power Spot Market Development in Regions with Continuous Operation. The policy, which is the country’s first national framework for spot market construction, outlines mechanisms to support full participation of renewable energy in spot trading.
The guidelines encourage renewables to compete through ‘volume-price bidding,’ with the option of joint bidding alongside storage, and promote long-term bilateral contracts with end-users to stabilize revenues. They also call for new ancillary service types, such as ramping, in regions with high renewable penetration, and encourage renewable providers to join ancillary markets through aggregation. In the retail market, the guidelines support the development of innovative ‘green power packages’ tailored to user demand for clean electricity.