The Chinese.Solar industry blog
Long-form research on the world's most consequential solar industry. Trade policy, cell technology, supply-chain economics, BESS — written for procurement leaders, EPCs, and institutional investors.
TOPCon vs HJT vs PERC in 2026: The Complete B2B Buyer's Guide to N-Type Solar Modules
PERC is dying. TOPCon is everywhere. HJT is closing in. We dissect cell architecture, real-world energy yield, manufacturing cost curves, and what your next 50 MW order should specify.
Inside the Chinese Solar Supply Chain in 2026: Polysilicon to Panels, City by City
Polysilicon from Sichuan. Wafers from Inner Mongolia. Cells from Jiangsu. Modules from Jiangxi. A geographic and operational tour of the most consequential supply chain on earth.
The Complete Guide to Importing Chinese Solar Modules into Europe in 2026
Tariffs, certifications, ports, lead times, CBAM, and the practical CIF/DDP math behind 26 GW of annual Chinese solar imports into the EU.
UFLPA, AD/CVD, Section 201: Navigating the US Solar Import Maze in 2026
The US solar import regime is the most complex on earth. Here's how tier-1 buyers actually move Chinese-origin product (and Southeast-Asian-assembled product) into the world's third-largest solar market.
BESS Procurement in 2026: Specifying Chinese Liquid-Cooled Battery Storage Systems
LFP at $0.07/Wh. 6,000-cycle warranty. Liquid cooling as default. The complete utility-scale BESS procurement playbook for 2026.
Chinese Solar Inverters in 2026: Huawei vs Sungrow vs GoodWe vs Deye — The Definitive B2B Comparison
Four Chinese brands now ship over 60% of the world's solar inverters. We benchmark efficiency, grid-code support, battery compatibility, monitoring stacks, warranty terms, and real procurement pricing — string, central and hybrid.
How to Verify a Chinese Solar Manufacturer: A 2026 Due Diligence Playbook for Procurement Teams
Tier-1 lists are gamed. Glossy brochures are AI-generated. Factory videos are stock footage. Here's how serious B2B buyers actually verify a Chinese solar manufacturer in 2026 — paperwork, on-site, financial, and supply-chain checks that hold up in court.
Importing Chinese Solar to the US in 2026: AD/CVD, UFLPA, Section 201 & the Southeast Asia Pivot
Tariff stacks now exceed 250% on direct Chinese modules. UFLPA detentions are common. Yet the US installed a record 51 GW in 2025 — almost all of it ultimately Chinese-IP. A complete strategy guide for buyers, EPCs and developers in 2026.
Floating Solar in China: How FPV Went From Pond Experiments to 3 GW Megaprojects on the Yellow Sea
China commissioned more floating photovoltaics in 2025 than the rest of the world combined. Inside the engineering, economics, and supply-chain stack behind offshore FPV — from Anhui's coal-mine reservoirs to the first commercial saltwater arrays.
3D-Printed Solar: Inside China's Roll-to-Roll Perovskite Revolution
Microquanta, GCL, and UtmoLight are commercialising printed perovskite at a fraction of silicon's cost per watt — and many times the production speed. A factory-floor tour and the engineering thresholds the industry just crossed.
Sun-to-Vehicle (S2V): How Chinese EVs Are Integrating 1.2 kW of Solar Directly Into the Roof
BYD, Aiways, Geely, Nio and a wave of Chinese vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) suppliers are pushing solar cars from concept to assembly line. The S2V tech stack, cost economics, and what 2027 production looks like.
Space-Based Solar Power: Inside China's $14 Billion Race to Beam Energy From Orbit by 2030
China is building the world's first commercial space-based solar power station — a 1 GW orbital array beaming microwave energy to a Chongqing rectenna. The engineering, the launch logistics, the supply chain, and what's already in orbit.
Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Cells: How China Crossed the 33% Efficiency Wall and What It Means for Module Pricing
LONGi, JinkoSolar, and Trina have all certified tandem cells above 33.9% efficiency. We trace the deposition stack, the encapsulation breakthroughs, the bankability question, and the 2027 commercial launch roadmap.
Sodium-Ion Batteries Hit the Grid: Why CATL, BYD, and HiNa Are Betting Billions on Na-ion for Stationary Storage
Sodium-ion was supposed to be the chemistry that came after lithium. In 2026, CATL shipped its first GWh-scale stationary Na-ion order. Inside the cell chemistry, the cost stack, and the deployment economics that put Na-ion ahead of LFP on grid duty.
Solid-State Batteries in China: From CATL's 2027 Roadmap to the First Stationary Pilots
Sulfide, oxide, polymer — three solid-electrolyte families are racing to commercialisation in China. We map the supply chain, the safety dividend, and what solid-state means for grid-scale storage economics by 2030.
Inside the TOPCon Cell: An Engineering Deep-Dive Into the Architecture That Replaced PERC
Tunnel oxide thickness in angstroms, polysilicon doping profiles, LECO contact firing, screen-print finger geometry. The engineering reality of the cell that now dominates global solar manufacturing.
Agrivoltaics in China: The 220 GW Pipeline Combining Solar With Farming
Tea plantations under bifacial panels, rice paddies under elevated trackers, blueberry farms with translucent BIPV. How Chinese agrivoltaics is reshaping land-use economics and what it means for the global APV supply chain.
Green Hydrogen From Chinese Solar: The 1,000 GW Electrolyser Supply Chain Built in 36 Months
Sinopec's Xinjiang green hydrogen project consumed 1.5 GW of Chinese PV in 2025 alone. We map the alkaline vs PEM vs AEM electrolyser race, the cost curves, and what solar-coupled hydrogen means for steel, ammonia, and shipping fuel.
AI-Managed Virtual Power Plants: How Tencent, Huawei, and State Grid Are Orchestrating 40 GW of Distributed Solar
Virtual power plants aggregating residential PV, BESS, EVs, and flexible loads have hit utility scale in China. Inside the AI dispatch algorithms, the regulatory framework, and the OEM stack making it work.
How Chinese Cell Makers Pushed Silicon Wafers From 180 µm to 100 µm — and Why That Matters
Thinner wafers mean less polysilicon, lower cost, and higher cell efficiency from improved carrier collection. Inside the wire-saw diamond-thinning revolution and the structural cost win for Chinese cell manufacturers.
China's Polysilicon Supply Chain in 2026: Inside the $42 Billion Capacity Expansion Outside Xinjiang
UFLPA, CBAM, and EU due-diligence rules forced Chinese polysilicon producers to build new gigafactories outside Xinjiang. We map the 1.8 Mt/yr post-Xinjiang supply chain and what it means for traceability premiums.
Solar Module Recycling at Scale: China's $3.8 Billion End-of-Life Industry Taking Shape
30 million tonnes of decommissioned PV modules will hit Chinese waste streams by 2035. We map the recycling supply chain, the silver and silicon recovery economics, and the EU export opportunity.
The Carbon Footprint of Chinese Solar Modules in 2026: An LCA-Grade Analysis
EU CBAM, French ECS labels, US Inflation Reduction Act bonus credits — module carbon footprint is now a procurement specification. We benchmark Chinese tier-1 module LCA from polysilicon to delivered project.
How Chinese Solar Modules Actually Cross the Ocean: An Inside Look at 2026 Export Logistics
From Shanghai port stuffing to Rotterdam unloading: container booking, vessel scheduling, insurance, customs clearance. The operational reality of moving 250 GW of solar modules in 2025 — and what every procurement team should know.