| Date | June 30, 2026 |
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Taipei, June 29, 2026 — The global solar industry is entering a decisive new phase in 2026, as a sharp cooldown in China's once-runaway installation boom coincides with a wave of trade, localization, and grid-integration policies across Europe, North America, and Latin America, according to the latest cross-market analysis from InfoLink Consulting.
China, the world's largest solar market, added just 9.52 GW of new photovoltaic (PV) capacity in April 2026—a 78.95% drop from the same month a year earlier. New PV installations in the first four months reached 50.91 GW, down 51.48% from 104.9 GW over the same period in 2025. The slowdown follows China’s move toward new electricity pricing mechanisms and signals a structural shift: the country's 2026 power-market roadmap is set to prioritize spot-market rollout across more than half of its provinces, expanded inter-provincial power trading, and a maturing ancillary services market over raw capacity growth.
Europe: trade flows hold firm, but the rules are shifting
Europe remains the largest destination for Chinese PV modules—exports reached an estimated 11–12 GW in April, up 25% year-on-year—but the policy ground beneath that trade is shifting.
On March 4, the European Commission proposed its Industrial Accelerator Act, which would require EU-made PV inverters and cells to be used in public procurement, renewable auctions, and subsidy schemes three years after entry into force, while subjecting large foreign investments from high-capacity third countries to stricter conditions. The measure is not expected to apply before 2027.
National policies are moving in parallel. France's third multi-year energy plan (PPE3), adopted by decree on February 13, targets 48 GW of solar by 2030 and 55–80 GW by 2035, paired with domestic module and cell manufacturing goals. Spain's Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 moves to extend the radius for collective self-consumption from two to five kilometers and creates a new "self-consumption manager" role. Poland's new grid law aims to unlock capacity in a roughly 240 GW connection queue clogged by "zombie projects," while the UK's Future Homes Standard will require most new homes to install solar equivalent to at least 40% of ground-floor area from March 2027. Italy held its FER 2 auction on June 8, and Berlin relaunched its SolarPLUS subsidy program in January.
United States: the steepest headwinds
The United States presents one of the industry's toughest trade environments. March imports fell to roughly 1.6 GW of modules—down about 46% year-on-year—and 1.1 GW of cells, down about 37%, as escalating trade barriers bite.
On March 26, the U.S. International Trade Commission opened a Section 337 investigation (No. 337-TA-1494) into certain TOPCon solar cells and modules following a patent complaint by First Solar. The complaint names roughly 47 companies across major manufacturing regions, while the case remains at an early stage with no substantive infringement ruling yet. Separately, a Section 232 national-security probe into imports of solar-grade polysilicon and its derivatives was initiated in mid-2025, with potential measures affecting wafers, cells, and modules widely anticipated as early as late in the second quarter 2026. IRS Notice 2026-15, issued in February, set out guidance on "prohibited foreign entity" (PFE) restrictions that can disqualify non-compliant projects from clean-energy tax credits.
Brazil: from buildout to market absorption
In Brazil, the story is increasingly about market absorption rather than expansion. With China’s export tax rebates now removed for PV products and front-loaded shipments still moving through the market, buyers are focused on drawing down existing inventory.
At the same time, rapid solar and wind growth has triggered grid congestion and curtailment in several regions. Law 15.269/2025 introduced a new compensation mechanism, though regulator ANEEL has paused related settlements while supporting rules are finalized. Meanwhile, momentum behind a special tax regime for data centers could make AI-driven power demand an important driver of corporate green-power procurement and large-scale solar growth.
A new center of gravity
"The focus in solar is shifting from how much capacity the world adds to how well power systems can integrate energy storage and build grid flexibility,' said Corrine Lin, CEO and Chief Analyst at InfoLink Consulting."
The same pattern is playing out across all four markets: the decisive question of 2026 is no longer how many gigawatts get deployed, but how flexibly the grid can absorb them—and the localization and trade rules being written now will shape global supply chains for years to come."