21st Century Business Herald reporter Lei Ye reports from Beijing
From March 25 to 27, the 16th China International Clean Energy Expo was held in Beijing. During this expo, as one of the organizers, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association held the &#34;2026 Photovoltaic Market Development Forum&#34; on March 25, focusing on in-depth discussions on core topics such as domestic large-scale base projects, trends in the development and construction of distributed solar storage markets, and photovoltaic participation in electricity market mechanisms.
According to the &#34;14th Five-Year Plan&#34; outline, the economic and social development during the &#34;14th Five-Year&#34; period aims to achieve the preliminary establishment of a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient new energy system. Attendees believe that 2026, as the starting year of the &#34;14th Five-Year Plan,&#34; marks a transition for the photovoltaic industry from merely pursuing scale expansion to entering a new stage centered on high-quality development. Against the backdrop of comprehensive deepening of electricity market reform, the industry is undergoing profound transformation and restructuring.
&#34;In 2025, China's newly installed photovoltaic capacity will reach 317 million kilowatts, with a cumulative installed capacity of 1.2 billion kilowatts, and the proportion of photovoltaic power generation in total electricity consumption will rise to 11%. Photovoltaics are accelerating the transition from supplementary energy to main energy,&#34; said Liu Yiyang, Executive Secretary-General of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, during his speech at the forum.
Liu Yiyang stated that the industry has fully shifted from scale-driven to consumption-driven and value-driven, facing opportunities and challenges such as the deepening of market mechanisms, the emergence of new scenarios like direct green electricity connections, and the acceleration of the industrialization of green hydrogen production. The &#34;14th Five-Year&#34; period is a critical window for the high-quality development of the photovoltaic industry, requiring cost reduction and efficiency improvement through technological innovation, and relying on policies and market mechanisms to cultivate new business models. The association will continue to build communication platforms, consolidate industry consensus, and contribute to the expansion and quality improvement of the photovoltaic industry, aiding in the construction of a new energy system and the achievement of carbon neutrality goals.
Electricity market reform has become the core driving force, compelling enterprises to enhance operational capabilities. In the roundtable discussion, experts generally agreed that policies such as Document No. 136 signify the full entry of new energy into the electricity market, and the traditional fixed electricity price model has become history.
Guo Kang, a technical expert at the Economic and Technical Research Institute of State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., stated that with policy adjustments, the internal rate of return for energy storage projects is expected to decline, and enterprises need to shift towards improving returns through precise forecasting, scientific trading, and forming professional teams.
Lu Jiabin, an electricity market consultant for the Photovoltaic Power Generation Professional Committee of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, indicated that the future electricity market will be a comprehensive market encompassing multiple dimensions such as electricity quantity, frequency modulation, backup, and capacity. Enterprises need to possess the ability to participate collaboratively in various markets and maximize returns through multi-party cooperation.
The integration of solar and storage is transitioning from &#34;passive storage&#34; to &#34;active collaboration,&#34; with value excavation evolving towards refinement. The deep integration of solar and storage is seen as one of the key paths to respond to market changes.
Huang Lai, head of the carbon business department at TCL Photovoltaic Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., stated that independent energy storage investment should start from &#34;node&#34; selection, conducting in-depth research on local power structure, grid framework, and load conditions. He believes that the fixed-period peak-valley arbitrage model is becoming unsustainable, and future distributed energy storage must be deeply integrated with market trading, load forecasting, and AI algorithms
Liu Tongfei, the chief designer of solar energy at China Resources Power Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., stated that it is crucial to enhance the yield of centralized power plants through methods such as co-locating wind and solar, integrating energy storage, and optimizing design.
New scenarios and ecosystems are emerging, and industry thresholds are significantly rising. In the face of challenges, experts have also outlined new opportunities during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
Huang Lai believes that scenarios will replace single products, ecosystems will replace industries, and new energy needs to deeply integrate with fields such as transportation and steel to explore application value.
Liu Shengbin, deputy general manager of Chint Aneng Digital Energy (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd., predicts that 2026 will be a year of &#34;transformation&#34; for the industry, with concepts such as zero-carbon parks, direct green electricity connections, and collaborative electricity computing gradually achieving scalability and economic viability.
Zhang Xiaobin, executive vice president and secretary-general of the Shandong Solar Industry Association, stated that the industry ecosystem will change, and many enterprises lacking core competitiveness may exit, while investment entities will be more inclined to invest in adjustable loads, forming a complete closed loop of &#34;power source + load + storage + trading.&#34; Operational capability is also a core factor affecting asset value.
Facing the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the photovoltaic industry is undergoing a profound transformation from scale-oriented to value-oriented. Only by actively embracing the electricity market, deepening the synergy between solar and storage, innovating business models, and enhancing refined operational capabilities can enterprises seize new opportunities for high-quality development amid the changes

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At the 16th China International Clean Energy Expo, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association held the "2026 Photovoltaic Market Development Forum" to discuss the high-quality development and market-oriented reform of the photovoltaic industry. Experts at the conference pointed out that the photovoltaic industry is shifting from scale expansion to value-driven growth, with an expected addition of 317 million kilowatts of installed capacity by 2025, and the proportion of photovoltaic power generation in social electricity consumption is expected to rise to 11%. Policy adjustments will drive companies to enhance their operational capabilities, while the returns on energy storage projects may decline, requiring companies to improve profits through accurate forecasting and scientific trading

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With the start of the "14th Five-Year Plan," how can photovoltaics break through? Market-oriented reforms and the synergy of solar energy storage are key