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CPIA Expects 32 GW To 45 GW Solar In 2020 For China

China Photovoltaic Industry Association Lowers Full Year 2020 Global Solar PV Capacity Forecast To Between 110 GW To 135 GW, Due To COVID-19; For China It Expects New PV Capacity Of 32 GW To 45 GW

Anu Bhambhani
  • In its annual report, CPIA has offered its revised lowered guidance for 2020 PV installations globally to between 110 GW to 135 GW
  • COVID-19 pandemic spread and impact has prompted the association to offer downward revision of Chinese PV capacity to between 32 GW to 45 GW in 2020
  • Scope for the solar PV technology is immense moving forward as various industries explore it applicability in other fields

The China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) has reduced its annual guidance for new solar PV capacity addition in China in 2020 to between 32 GW and 45 GW due to the sector feeling the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. However, there isn't much difference compared to its previous guidance of 35 GW to 45 GW.

Recently, GlobalData had decreased its forecast to  40 GW to about 33.4 GW this year, unlike IHS Markit, which upped its China forecast to 45 GW.

That means China's contribution would increase to global PV additions in 2020, which as per the CPIA's annual report will be around 110 GW to 135 GW. These are lowered expectations from 130 GW to 140 GW it forecast previously. CPIA believes the pandemic is bound to slowdown global PV installations throughout the year.

It sees further technological progress for the solar PV industry in China as major manufacturers steam ahead with their manufacturing expansion plans. Up ahead are interesting times for solar PV technology's application as other industries explore ways to incorporate it in various fields, as per the CPIA reported local media platform Solarbe.com.

CPIA says at the end of 2019, the global production capacity of polysilicon was 675,000 tons, for silicon wafers it was 185.3 GW, for cells 210.9 GW and modules it was 218.7 GW.

As per the National Energy Administration of China, the country exited 2019 having installed 30.11 GW of new PV capacity registering a drop of 32% YoY taking aggregate capacity to 204.3 GW which was an annual increase of 17.1%.