China still dominates in solar module manufacturing

China has emerged as the largest manufacturer of solar modules, with a share of over 70% of global production in 2020 [3]. Other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, have also seen significant growth in their solar manufacturing capabilities in recent years.

The dominance of China in solar manufacturing can be attributed to several factors, including government policies that incentivize investment in the solar industry, a large pool of skilled labor, and access to low-cost raw materials. Chinese companies have also made significant investments in research and development to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of solar modules.

Despite the dominance of China in solar manufacturing, other countries are also making significant investments in the industry. The United States, for example, has announced plans to invest in domestic solar manufacturing to reduce its reliance on imports. India has also set a target of achieving 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022, which will require significant expansion of its domestic manufacturing capabilities.

The global deployment of solar PV is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, and this will require significant expansion of manufacturing capabilities in multiple countries. While China currently dominates solar manufacturing, other countries are also making significant investments in the industry to reduce their reliance on imports and support the growth of their domestic solar markets.