The 20GW of additions reported by Reuters, citing state media and the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), is three times higher than in the same period of 2015.
Based on data released by China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) at the end of the first quarter – which said 7.1GW was installed – the figures would mean Q2 additions in the order of 13GW and bring the country’s cumulative capacity to 63GW.
Analyst IHS Technology said in June it expected about 13GW to be added in the entire first half, with installations then stalling as the June 30 FIT revision deadline passed.
A 20GW addition in the first half would meet the Beijing government’s target for the whole of 2016 six months early, and add to the likelihood of a drastic downturn in the back end of the year.
The NEA’s first quarter data highlighted the growing problem of curtailment of solar power, with about 19TWh going wasted in the January-March period.
