InfoLink Consulting says leading module suppliers saw a significant decline in shipments in H1 2026
LONGi and JinkoSolar shared the top ranking, while the leading four retained a dominant share
Overseas markets accounted for a much larger portion of shipments, while BC modules gained share
The world’s top 10 solar module suppliers recorded a sharp decline in shipments in H1 2026, posting a 31% year-on-year (YoY) drop, according to InfoLink Consulting. Together, the total shipments of the listed solar module suppliers during the period totaled around 181.39 GW.
The ranking includes 11 companies because four manufacturers were tied for eighth place. Among the eight companies that appeared in both H1 2025 and H1 2026 rankings, their shipments fell 30% YoY, according to the analysts.
LONGi Green Energy and JinkoSolar (tier one) shared the top position on the list, followed by Trinasolar in third, narrowly ahead of JA in fourth (tier two). The Big 4 companies accounted for about 59% of the shipments covered by the ranking, but the gap between the first tier and second tiers narrowed by about 4% to 5% from a year earlier. Their shipments include those from their US module manufacturers, highlights InfoLink.
Tongwei, Astronergy (Chint New Energy), and Yingli Development ranked 5th through 7th, in that order. Hengdian DMEGC, AIKO, TCL Zhonghuan, and GCL Integration were tied for 8th, with their shipment volumes differing by less than 5%.
The ranking also saw several changes. Canadian Solar, a regular in previous rankings, dropped out, while AIKO entered the list for the first time. TCL Zhonghuan was included after the company consolidated its operations and brands with DAH Solar.
According to the analysts, the ranking also showed a shift toward overseas markets due to a drop in domestic demand and the impact of China’s export tax rebate policy. China accounted for about 39.9% of shipments by the top 11 suppliers, while overseas markets represented 60.1%. The overseas share increased by about 18 percentage points from the same period in 2025.
In comparison, as per InfoLink’s H1 2026 solar cell supplier ranking, top 5 companies shipped about 91.9 GW capacity with a 5% growth (see InfoLink Consulting: Top 5 Cell Suppliers Ship 92 GW In H1 2026).
In terms of technology, TOPCon remained the main technology among the leading solar module suppliers in H1 2026, accounting for about 83% of shipments. BC module shipments, meanwhile, approached 30 GW and represented about 16% of the total. InfoLink noted that the ranking does not fully reflect HJT’s global share because it did not include major HJT manufacturers.
InfoLink said the solar industry is undergoing structural adjustment amid supply-demand imbalances, excess capacity, and high inventories. It added that manufacturers are increasingly looking at technology differentiation and market positioning as the industry moves beyond a focus on shipment growth.
“In the past, market competition focused on expanding shipments and seizing opportunities; now, with most regional markets already covered, the industry may need to think more about how to penetrate niche markets with differentiated products, meet customer needs, and enhance long-term stickiness, thereby escaping the involutionary dilemma of "product homogenization,” recommend InfoLink analysts.
