China’s Solar Installations Fall for Fourth Straight Month
(Bloomberg) -- China’s new solar installations fell for a fourth straight month in April, underscoring persistent weakness in domestic demand.
A total of 9.52 gigawatts of solar capacity was added last month, according to data from the National Energy Administration. The monthly figure represents a slight improvement from 8.91 gigawatts added in March, but is a steep drop from the year-earlier level of 45.22 gigawatts when policy changes drove a surge in installations.
The slowdown, which began early this year, reflects weakening domestic demand following years of rapid renewable energy expansion. The sluggish momentum is also evident in manufacturing. Solar cell output fell 26% in April, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics last week.
However, exports remained resilient last month, despite the removal of tax rebates for overseas shipments that were expected to damp global demand for the country’s clean tech products. Shipments of solar cells grew 60% by volume from a year earlier, according to data released by China’s General Administration of Customs.
“With conflict in the Middle East stifling energy passage via the Strait of Hormuz, overseas solar shipments should remain robust through 2H as various nations step up their push toward alternative energy,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Chia Chen said in a note.
China also added 5.49 gigawatts of wind power in April, while newly installed thermal power additions were 3.97 gigawatts, according to the NEA.
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