On June 18, 2026, the State Grid Corporation of China announced the tender for 21.5 billion yuan ultra-high voltage; Four days later, the large order of 6.283 billion yuan distribution network equipment from Southern Power Grid followed closely. In less than a week, nearly 27.8 billion yuan of investment in the power grid has been continuously invested - sunlight from the western Gobi will be directly transmitted to eastern cities through ultra-high voltage, and millions of rooftop photovoltaics have finally reached the moment of smooth grid connection. The "arteries" and "capillaries" of the photovoltaic industry are simultaneously connected.

Ultra high voltage communication base, distributed network connection

On June 8th, State Grid Corporation of China announced the pre winning bid for the second bidding and procurement of equipment and materials for the ultra-high voltage project, with a total scale of 21.5 billion yuan, setting a new historical high. Among them, the materials category is about 12 billion yuan and the equipment category is about 9.5 billion yuan. More than 20 listed companies such as Zhongtian Technology, Hongsheng Huayuan, Pinggao Electric, and China Xidian have been shortlisted. 

The two core projects of ± 800 kV high-voltage direct current from Southeast Tibet to the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area are expected to drive the construction of 30 million kW photovoltaic projects. The Datong Huailai Tianjin 1000 kV AC project is planned to be put into operation in June 2027, with an annual output of 14.6 billion kWh of green electricity and an output of 8 million kW of photovoltaic power for consumption. Just four days later, Southern Power Grid released the first batch of framework bidding for 2026 distribution network equipment, with a total amount of 6.283 billion yuan. The proportion of complete automation and integration equipment reached 42%. The bidding covers 10kV transformers, ring main units, cables and other equipment, with a focus on adapting to the needs of distributed photovoltaic and charging pile access. Ultra high voltage solves the problem of "being able to produce but unable to deliver" in centralized photovoltaics, while upgrading the distribution network solves the bottleneck of "integrating and using well" in distributed photovoltaics. The two work together to promote the shift of photovoltaics from centralized to both centralized and distributed.

Comprehensive outbreak of consumption, scale, and industrial chain

This transmission and distribution linkage brings multiple benefits to the photovoltaic industry. The consumption capacity has significantly increased, with centralized photovoltaics relying on ultra-high voltage cross provincial channels, phase-shifting cameras, and energy storage. The abandonment rate of western bases has decreased from 15% to 20% to below 5%, with an annual increase in consumption of over 100 billion kilowatt hours; The capacity of distributed photovoltaics has been increased by 50% through bidirectional transformation of the distribution network. After the upgrade of the South Grid distribution network, the upper limit of distributed access in Guangdong and Guangxi has been raised to 8 million kilowatts, with an annual increase in consumption of over 10 billion kilowatt hours. The development scale is accelerating, with a single ultra-high voltage driving about 10GW of photovoltaic supporting facilities. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, ultra-high voltage will drive the addition of more than 500GW of installed capacity. 

The upgrade of the South China Grid distribution network will unleash the distributed potential of 300 million kilowatts in South China, and the household grid connection cycle will be shortened to 7 days. The industrial chain orders have grown comprehensively, and the demand for efficient components has surged. The Kubuqi base has driven over 60GW of components; high-power string inverters and micro inverters have benefited from the dual line, tracking a growth of over 30% in bracket orders; Ultra high voltage benefits Zhongtian Technology, Pinggao Electric, China Xidian, etc., while the bidding of Southern Power Grid benefits distribution network equipment suppliers; EPC enterprise orders increased by 40% year-on-year, attracting social capital of over 50 billion yuan, energy storage standard drives battery demand of over 20GWh, and the intelligent operation and maintenance market grows by 25% annually.

The investment return continues to improve, with centralized photovoltaic IRR increasing by 2 to 3 percentage points, payback period shortened, distributed photovoltaic utilization rate increased, grid connection costs reduced, and household payback period shortened to 5 to 6 years. Technological innovation is accelerating comprehensively, with N-type high-efficiency battery conversion efficiency exceeding 26%, photovoltaic energy storage and phase-shifting camera adapted to ultra-high voltage, distributed and intelligent microgrid adapted to distribution network, and AI prediction error controlled within 5%.

Green power network from Gobi to cities

The large orders of 21.5 billion yuan ultra-high voltage and 6.283 billion yuan distribution network have been successively implemented, and the photovoltaic industry has officially entered a new stage of "transmission and distribution linkage". The nearly 27.8 billion yuan investment is just the beginning, and a green power network covering the whole country is accelerating from the Gobi Desert to cities, from large bases to household roofs. With the synchronous and smooth flow of arteries and capillaries, China's photovoltaic industry is ushering in a new era of high-quality development. Editor/Yang Beihua