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- AnalysisAnalysis
China installed 50.91 GW of new solar PV in 4M 2026, down more than 51% YoY
Exports remained strong despite softer domestic demand, with module shipments surging in March
The country’s cumulative installed solar PV capacity reached 1.25 TW by the end of April 2026
China’s new solar PV installations, between January and April 2026, totaled 50.91 GW, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA).
This represents a year-on-year (YoY) decline of more than 51%, or 54.47 GW, in installed solar PV capacity compared with 104.93 GW added during the initial 4 months of 2025. (see China Deploys 105 GW New Solar Capacity In 4M 2025).
On a monthly basis, the month of April 2026 saw additions of 9.52 GW AC since China’s Q1 2026 additions totaled 41.39 GW AC, with 32.48 GW AC added in January and February, and 8.91 GW AC in the month of March.
The Q1 2026 total comprised 19.6 GW AC of utility-scale PV installations, down 16.2% YoY, while commercial & industrial (C&I) distributed PV installed 61.5% less at 12.04 GW. Residential rooftop PV was the only segment to record growth, representing an 88.7% YoY jump, installing 9.53 GW AC (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The drop in monthly installations is more or less expected since the country is now adjusting to the shift from feed-in-tariffs (FIT) to a market-based pricing system, owing to which April 2025 installations totaled 45 GW AC, followed by a record 92.92 GW AC in the following month (see China Solar Installations: From 100 MW In 2009 To 1 TW In 2025).
China has also entered its 15th Five-Year Plan (FYP), which runs from 2026 to 2030, with a focus on enhancing grid infrastructure and adding energy storage to minimize curtailment of renewable energy.
In the meantime, as domestic demand slumps, Chinese companies are focusing on tapping opportunities in export markets. According to InfoLink Consulting, in March 2026, there was a marked improvement in solar module and battery storage shipments, supported by the Asia-Pacific and European markets. In March alone, China exported nearly 37.32 GW of solar modules, representing an increase of 123% month-on-month and 60% YoY. Between January and March this year, China exported nearly 71.42 GW of solar modules, representing an increase of about 15% YoY.
On a cumulative basis, solar PV now accounts for 1.25 TW AC capacity, having grown by 26.2% YoY as of the end of April 2026, while wind energy capacity increased by 22% to 660 GW AC compared with the national power generation capacity of 3.99 TW AC.
