China’s solar exports to Europe shine bright amid dimming trade outlook, global recession fears

Chinese solar battery exports to the EU surged 138 per cent in the first eight months of the year, compared with the same period in 2021

Soaring electricity prices in Europe, triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are one of the major factors driving up demand

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Demand is growing for Chinese solar exports in Europe as businesses and families flock to install rooftop solar panels amid soaring energy prices. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:01pm, 5 Oct 2022Updated: 4:13pm, 5 Oct 2022

China’s solar industry appears to be one of the few bright spots on a darkening horizon for exports from the world’s No 2 economy, as fears grow of a global recession.

Chinese solar battery exports – which are divided into photovoltaic cells and modules – to the European Union (EU) surged 138 per cent in the first eight months of the year, compared with the same period in 2021, according to South China Morning Post calculations based on China’s customs data.

Total solar battery exports rose 91.2 per cent over the same period.

Demand is growing for Chinese solar exports in Europe as businesses and families flock to install rooftop solar panels amid soaring energy prices triggered by fallout from the Ukraine war.

Europe is pushing to end reliance on fossil fuels from Russia, which has cut natural gas supplies to the continent in response to sanctions, roiling global energy markets in the process.

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