In the first half of 2026, China's photovoltaic exports will present an intriguing scissors gap. According to data from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, the total export value of Chinese photovoltaic products in the first half of 2026 was approximately 17.183 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 24.3%. The export volume of components slightly decreased by 0.5% year-on-year, but the export value increased by 14.4% against the trend, marking the first occurrence since the deep adjustment in the second half of 2023. The growth rate of export volume far exceeds that of export volume, indicating that China's photovoltaic industry is bidding farewell to the old model of exchanging quantity for price. At the same time, the two emerging markets of the Middle East and Africa are rising at an astonishing speed. In the first quarter, China's exports of photovoltaic modules to the Middle East increased by 470% year-on-year, and exports of energy storage systems increased by 620%.

Structural outbreak in the Middle East market

The Middle East market is experiencing a structural explosion. In the first quarter of 2026, China's exports of photovoltaic modules to the Middle East surged by 470% year-on-year, and exports of energy storage systems increased by 620%. More noteworthy is that over 90% of orders are long-term contracts of more than 3 years, and the order structure has shifted from short-term game to long-term binding. The core driving force for growth comes from the concentrated implementation of sovereign level projects. The Saudi Arabia PIF Phase IV Haden 2GW photovoltaic project has signed an EPC contract with China Energy Alliance, with a contract amount of approximately 972 million US dollars; Tianhe Solar and ACWA Power signed a 2.65GW component and tracker supply agreement. The 2GW photovoltaic power station in Saudi Arabia has started component installation, jointly constructed by China Energy Engineering International Group, Guangdong Thermal Power, and Northwest Institute.

Africa moves from off grid to grid level

The African market is moving from small-scale off grid to grid level centralized. According to the Ember report, the expected new installed capacity of solar energy in Africa in 2026 is 17GW, a year-on-year increase of 45%, setting a new annual installation record for the third consecutive year, equivalent to installing about 100000 photovoltaic panels or 47MW of capacity per day. In the 12 months ending June 2026, China's exports of photovoltaic modules to Africa reached 23GW, a year-on-year increase of 53%, which is on par with China's exports to the Middle East. China's export growth to Africa mainly comes from markets outside of South Africa. In 2023, 52% of Africa's photovoltaic imports went to South Africa, and by June 2026, this proportion had dropped to 20%. The key driving force behind the outbreak of solar energy installation in Africa is diesel substitution. The US Iran conflict has pushed up global diesel prices, coupled with the cancellation of diesel subsidies in countries such as Nigeria and Egypt. Diesel generator users are accelerating their shift towards photovoltaic and energy storage solutions. Keywords: New Energy News Network, Photovoltaic, International

Comprehensive acceleration of overseas production capacity

The highest form of China's photovoltaic going global - localization of overseas production capacity, is accelerating its landing in the Middle East and Africa. In the Middle East, Trina Solar's 5GW module factory in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was officially put into operation in June 2026. This is the first GW level production capacity base built by Chinese photovoltaic companies in the Gulf region; The 10GW silicon wafer and battery project of Tongwei Group in Saudi Arabia has started construction and is scheduled to be put into operation in the first half of 2027. In terms of Africa, the Boda New Energy Egypt 5GW integrated photovoltaic manufacturing base has been officially put into operation, located in the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone between China and Egypt, targeting the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North American markets; The Sunshine Power Egypt 10GWh energy storage plant will start construction in August 2026 and is scheduled to be put into operation in April 2027. The photovoltaic manufacturing output in Africa is expected to double from about 800MW in 2025 to 3500MW in 2026. Currently, 94% of the installed photovoltaic modules in Africa are still imported from China, and the expansion of local manufacturing capacity in Africa still takes time. From product exports to capacity expansion, the Middle East and Africa are becoming new nodes in China's global photovoltaic supply chain.Editor/Gao Xue