China confirms 110GW goal, drops distributed solar target

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The latest plan endorses the proposed target of 110GW by 2020.

China has released its latest five-year plan for the solar industry with a focus on tackling curtailment, improving project quality and further reducing its feed-in tariff.

The latest plan endorses the proposed target of 110GW by 2020 that had previously been released for consultation by the country’s National Energy Administration (NEA). The government has ceased to include a separate, specific target for distributed generation (DG) projects, in an apparent change of tactics. Concentrated solar power (CSP) will represent 5GW of this figure.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Grid pressures have forced the curtailment of production from some sites with western provinces impacted particularly heavily. Under the new five-year plan, 11 provinces, largely but not exclusively in the east, have been assigned preferential status for solar deployment.

The 110GW figure is a 20% reduction on the original 150GW target. Frank Haugwitz is a Beijing-based expert on PV and renewable energy in China and founder of the Asia Europe Clean Energy Advisory (AECEA). He maintains that the 110GW figure is likely a low bar to be cleared rather than a high, aspirational target. Previous targets have been far-exceeded, Haugwitz has noted.

In what AECEA referred to as a “surprise” announcement, a carve-out in that target for DG installs has been abandoned. Beijing continues to support DG projects and a network of DG energy demonstration zones will be established with a target to install solar on 50% of all rooftops and 80% of new buildings.

10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

October 9, 2025
The retroactive collection of duties on historical solar imports to the US has been temporarily paused pending the outcome of an appeal.
October 7, 2025
Solar PV will account for almost 80% of the 4.6TW of new renewable power expected to be added by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
October 3, 2025
Chinese government policies and supply-side production cuts will drive a significant increase in solar and storage component costs.
September 30, 2025
Chinese solar firm SoleFiori (Hongjun New Energy) has signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government to build a 6GW heterojunction technology (HJT) module production facility in the country.
September 26, 2025
Chinese president Xi Jinping has unveiled a new climate target for China at the United Nations Climate Change Summit, which aims to cut by 7-10% China's peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
Sponsored
September 26, 2025
Over the past three years, Tongwei has made a remarkable leap in the solar sector, shipping over 100GW of modules at record-breaking speed.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK