China installed 7.21GW of solar in Q1 2017, curtailment issues remain

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The country’s cumulative deployment stood at 84.63GW by the end of Q1. Credit: United PV

China added 7.21GW of solar PV in the first quarter of the year, roughly 70MW more than in Q1 2016, according to figures from China’s National Energy Administration (NEA).

Of this capacity, 4.78GW were utility-scale solar and 2.43GW were distributed PV installs.

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

However, NEA noted continued grid constraints and curtailment of solar energy generation in several states particularly:

  • Xinjiang 39%
  • Gansu 19%
  • Ningxia 10%

The country’s cumulative deployment stood at 84.63GW by the end of Q1, of which 72GW is utility-scale. Last year, China added 34.24GW.

Beijing-based Asia Europe Clean Energy Advisory (AECEA) released a chart showing that demand is likely to stay strong until a feed-in tariff (FiT) deadline is reached. After this levels of deployment levels remain relatively uncertain.

Credit: AECEA

Last year, FiT cuts were proposed for 2017 and then this year China even started trialling a green energy certificate trading scheme as it looked to reduce its exposure to FiT payments.

China’s latest five-year plan endorses a proposed target of 110GW by 2020, which last year was reduced from 150GW, partly as a result of the prevailing curtailment issues at some sites in western provinces.

See the recent Technical Paper from AECEA's Frank Haugwitz on ‘China’s 13th Five-Year Plan for solar – a look at 2017 and beyond’. Haugwitz unpicks the five-year plan and assesses the country’s chances of surpassing 100GW of capacity this year.

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

September 9, 2025
China has advanced in the integration of AI and new energy, covering areas such as power forecasting, electricity markets, and O&M.
September 4, 2025
The Czech national cybersecurity agency has warned that Chinese solar inverters represent a threat to the country’s data security.
September 3, 2025
Huasun claims it has set new record efficiencies for HJT-perovskite tandem solar cells at both laboratory and commercial scales.
September 3, 2025
LONGi, Jinko Solar, Trina Solar and JA Solar posted combined net losses of nearly RMB11 billion (US$1.54 billion) in H1 2025.
September 1, 2025
Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) hit a record high for the combined utility-scale solar PV and wind share in the electricity mix on 30 August.
August 29, 2025
Chinese module maker JA Solar has launched DesertBlue, a PV module designed for desert and semi-arid regions. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines