China Solar PV News Snippets: CATL And CECEP Expand Partnership & More

CATL and CECEP Expand Cooperation in PV and Energy Storage

Battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) has signed an expanded strategic cooperation agreement with China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP). This agreement broadens the collaboration between the 2 companies across perovskite PV, energy storage, carbon-neutral projects, and overseas green mining.

The collaboration plans to work towards industrializing and mass-producing perovskite photovoltaic technology. On the storage side, it bets on sodium-ion technology, which offers improved safety, low-temperature performance, and cost competitiveness in large-scale storage projects. CATL will supply lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and liquid-cooled battery systems to CECEP.

The partnership’s goals also include developing a ‘carbon-neutral island’ demonstration project in the Hainan Free Trade Port and promoting carbon-neutral mining solutions in Belt and Road countries using electric mining trucks and integrated energy storage systems.

In May, CATL signed a strategic agreement with HyperStrong to supply 60 GWh of sodium-ion batteries over the next 3 years (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

Trina Storage Plans 36 GWh Battery Manufacturing Facility

Trina Storage, the energy storage subsidiary of Trinasolar, has submitted an environmental impact assessment for a 36 GWh lithium-ion battery manufacturing and R&D project in Chuzhou, Anhui Province.

The RMB 7.2 billion facility will include 36 GWh of mass-production battery cell capacity, a 1 GWh pilot battery cell production line within its R&D center, and supporting PACK module and energy storage system (ESS) manufacturing facilities.

The company previously completed 12 GWh of battery production capacity at its Chuzhou base in 2023.

China's May PV Installations Drop to 8.68 GW

China added 8.68 GW of new solar PV capacity in May, down 90.65% year-over-year (YoY), according to the National Energy Administration (NEA).

The country's cumulative installed solar PV capacity reached 1.26 TW by the end of May, while total installed power generation capacity rose 11.0% YoY to 4.01 TW.

During the first 5 months of 2026, China installed 59.59 GW of new solar PV capacity, a 69.88% decline from the same period last year.

Recently, CREEI forecast China to install 200 GW of solar in 2026 (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

China Releases 15^th Five-Year Plan for New Energy System

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and National Energy Administration (NEA) have jointly released the 15^th Five-Year Plan for New-Type Energy System Construction (2026-2030).

The plan aims to establish a preliminary new-type energy system by 2030 while accelerating the development of 4 major energy bases: desert renewable energy bases, hydro-wind-solar integrated bases, offshore wind bases, and coastal nuclear power bases. It also supports the continued expansion of distributed energy.

Key targets listed in this plan include non-fossil energy accounting for 25% of total energy consumption, wind and solar exceeding 50% of both installed power generation capacity and electricity generation, and renewable energy supplying 30% of total electricity generation by 2030.

The plan also targets 160 GW of pumped hydro storage, 300 GW of new energy storage, around 50 GW of vehicle-to-grid adjustable charging capacity, and more than 50 GW of virtual power plant regulation capacity by 2030.