Solar, China Raises Industrial Standards

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has proposed new standards for photovoltaic manufacturers, featuring differentiated efficiency thresholds by technology and stricter requirements across the supply chain. The MIIT's stated objective is to improve quality and address overcapacity.

The draft of the 2026 Photovoltaic Manufacturing Industry Specifications, published for public consultation on October 16, would replace the 2024 regulations. The consultation period will remain open until November 15, meaning the parameters could still change before any final approval.

Distinct thresholds for TOPCon, HJT, and rear-contact cells

For new or expanded production lines dedicated to solar cells, the proposed minimum average efficiencies are 26.2% for n-type TOPCon, 26.0% for HJT heterojunction cells, and 26.6% for back-contact (BC) cells. The 2024 standards, by contrast, set a uniform threshold of 26.0% for new n-type cells.

The requirements for existing lines would be 25.3% for TOPCon and HJT, and 25.6% for BC, compared to the previous value of 25.0% applied to n-type cells.

A similar distinction would be introduced for modules. New or expanded production should achieve at least 24.2% for TOPCon, 24.0% for HJT, and 24.4% for BC. The 2024 reference was a uniform threshold of 23.1% for n-type modules. For existing production, the draft specifies 23.4% for TOPCon and HJT, and 23.7% for BC.

All these values pertain to average conversion efficiency. For bifacial modules, the performance of the front side would be considered.

The proposal would also eliminate the separate categories reserved for polycrystalline silicon and p-type products. New parameters for emerging technologies would be introduced instead: newly produced tandem modules should achieve an efficiency of at least 27%, compared to the 25% expected for existing ones, while the threshold for new perovskite modules would be set at 20%.

Polysilicon, research and degradation testing

The update would also cover the upstream part of production. In new polysilicon projects based on the trichlorosilane process, overall electricity consumption should remain below 37 kWh/kg, compared to the previous general parameter of 53 kWh/kg.

For new silane fluidized bed projects, a limit of 15 kWh/kg would be set. In addition, in new polysilicon plants, water consumption should not exceed 30 cubic meters per metric ton.

The requirement to allocate at least 3% of annual sales to research, development, and process improvement would remain. What would change is the absolute minimum expenditure, which would double from 10 to 20 million CNY, equivalent to $2.94 million according to the reported data. The minimum equity ratio for new and expanded projects would remain unchanged at 30%.

The draft would also introduce a maximum degradation limit of 8.6% for crystalline silicon modules subjected to combined environmental stress tests.

More inspections of manufacturers and controls on technologies

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) plans to strengthen oversight of companies listed in its public registry of compliant manufacturers. The system would include periodic inspections and the removal of entities that no longer meet the required standards. Industry self-regulation may also be taken into account when evaluating applications.

However, the ministry clarified that the specifications would serve as guidelines and would not constitute mandatory conditions for administrative approval. The actual impact on investment decisions and overcapacity will therefore depend on the final formulation of the criteria and their implementation by local authorities, financial institutions, and market operators.

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology have proposed adding 12 photovoltaic manufacturing technologies to a catalog of technologies subject to export restrictions or bans. The separate revision would include a ban on the export of certain advanced technologies intended for the production of perovskite and tandem devices.

This proposal is also still in the public consultation phase. For the listed technologies, a temporary pre-export registration requirement is already in effect, but the measures target technology transfers and certain associated equipment: they do not constitute a generalized ban on the export of solar products.

A question for you

What criteria should carry greater weight in standards for photovoltaic production: efficiency, industrial energy consumption, or module lifespan?

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