China's solar production up in H1 as exports climb

Total export earnings from the solar sector rose by a third to $10.6b.

China’s production of solar equipment grew significantly in H1 2019, with much of its surplus driving up exports, Reuters reports. However, domestic project installations declined to less than 12GW during the period from 24GW in 2018.

Solar wafer production surged 26% over the same period to 63GW, solar cell manufacturing rose 31% to 51GW and module production grew 12% to 47GW, China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) said.

Total export earnings from the solar sector rose by a third to $10.6b in the first half, with wafer shipments exceeding the full-year total for 2018, Wang Bohua, CPIA’s vice-chairman, said. China’s major markets were in Europe, with deliveries to the Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, Hungary, Germany and Belgium all increasing. Shipments to the United States fell to just 0.1% of total sales.

Despite the drop-off in domestic installations, China is expected to put more than 40 GW of new capacity into operation over the course of 2019. China built 44.3GW of new capacity last year, down from a record 53GW in 2017.

Read the full report here.