Exports up 138%: in China, sales of solar panels are exploding


Sébastien Le Belzic (correspondent in China), edited by Romain Rouillard

Since the beginning of the year, China has been exporting a considerable quantity of solar panels to the European Union. A boon for Beijing, which already provides three-quarters of the world’s production of photovoltaic panels. It must be said that the sector benefits from significant state subsidies.

The photovoltaic sector is, to say the least, lucrative in China. Since the beginning of the year, Beijing has increased its solar panel exports to the European Union by 138%. According to a report just published by the International Energy Agency, solar is now the cheapest energy that exists and the EU wants to generalize the installation of these panels on all buildings.

A necessity also generated by the war in Ukraine and its consequences in terms of energy. This boom in solar energy is in any case a real boon for China, which already provides three-quarters of the world’s production of photovoltaic panels. Chinese factories are running at full speed to deliver to their European customers before winter.

Advantageous production costs

“We obtained exceptional aid of 350 million dollars from the Chinese government to enable us to finance our development and our production”, confides the director of one of its production sites. The sector is one of the few still growing in China and therefore benefits from significant state subsidies that allow it to produce solar panels at costs around 20% cheaper on average compared to European competition.

This appetite for photovoltaics is expected to continue well beyond winter, as the International Energy Agency predicts a 43% increase in solar power generation worldwide by 2040. electricity that has never been so competitive.



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