China Mandates Solar Efficiency Standards, Ending Era of Ultra-Cheap Panel Wars

Executive Briefing

• Requires three mandatory standards covering China's entire solar supply chain, effective January 1, 2027
• Targets polysilicon, wafers, modules, and inverters with binding energy consumption limits replacing voluntary guidelines
• Forces older PERC, early TOPCon, and high-energy polysilicon plants to upgrade or face capacity retirement
• Introduces three efficiency grades for modules, with minimum 23.2% efficiency required for TOPCon and HJT products
• Shifts industry competition from aggressive price-cutting toward energy efficiency and higher-quality output