Intersolar Europe 2026 takeaways: Technology race intensifies as market uncertainty builds

Intersolar Europe 2026 was held in Munich from June 23 to 25, local time. Leading PV companies showcased their latest advances in n-type TOPCon, BC, perovskite, and other high-efficiency technologies. InfoLink outlines the key takeaways from this year’s exhibition through three lenses: the current state of Europe’s market and supply chain, the hot topics discussed during the event, and the technology trends reflected in the exhibited products.
 

European market: Stalled growth and widening import-export divergence

Europe’s PV market is showing a broad slowdown in growth momentum. In 2025, combined capacity additions across Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and Poland—the region’s five largest markets—increased by less than 2% YoY, underscoring a marked deceleration in market expansion.

Nonetheless, China’s module exports to Europe reached 44.99 GW in the first five months of this year, up around 10% YoY. Much of this export volume, however, did not translate directly into local capacity additions. In the Netherlands, Slovenia, Belgium, and other markets, import volumes far exceeded local demand, clearly reflecting the structural role of European ports as regional re-export hubs.

Meanwhile, container freight rates from China to Rotterdam have risen from a February low of below USD 2,000/40' HC (i.e., 40-foot high-cube container) to more than USD 4,800 at present, with some vessel space even exceeding USD 6,000. Converted into per-watt module transportation costs, freight costs have increased from around EUR 0.005–0.007/W to EUR 0.012–0.013/W. The sharp rise in ocean freight rates has provided tangible support for European spot delivered prices, limiting the likelihood of a significant short-term price decline.
 

Exhibition hot topics: Rising policy risks and persistent price volatility

EU restrictions on Chinese inverters move into policy focus

During Intersolar Europe 2026, the EU’s inverter restriction policy became a key focus for the industry. On April 23, 2026, the European Commission formally issued guidance restricting the eligibility of projects using inverters from “high-risk suppliers” for EU funding. The Commission positioned the measure as a “first step” and made clear that a full market ban would require revisions to the Cybersecurity Act before it would have a legal basis.

According to InfoLink’s assessment, the current measure is a funding eligibility restriction, rather than a market sales ban, and its substantive impact remains manageable. The legislative progress of the Cybersecurity Act, however, will be a critical variable. If the revision moves forward, policy pressure could escalate from a subsidy cancellation to stricter market controls, warranting continued monitoring.
 

Price trends: Sharp swings in 1H26 with stabilization expected in 2H26

European module prices saw significant volatility in 1H26, driven mainly by three factors. First, silver prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) surged from around RMB 13,000/kg to more than RMB 30,000/kg in just two months, significantly pushing up module costs. Second, adjustments to China’s export tax rebate policy further amplified market expectations for price increases. Finally, continued increases in ocean freight rates also lifted landed costs in Europe.

Looking ahead to 2H26, as silver prices retreat from their highs and cost pressure gradually eases, module prices have room for a moderate pullback. InfoLink expects TOPCon module prices in Europe to gradually decline from around USD 0.126/W at present to around USD 0.115/W by year-end. However, fluctuations in ocean freight rates, changes in China’s supply chain policies, companies’ sales and pricing strategies, and the pace of high-power product adoption may continue to affect market price trends.
 

Exhibit observations: BC’s efficiency lead and accelerating TOPCon 3.0 deployment 

Ground-mounted projects: TOPCon 3.0 gains traction as BC maintains efficiency lead

At this year’s expo, TOPCon manufacturers generally showcased their 3.0 technology roadmaps. With the combination of edge passivation, Poly Finger, multi-cut cell designs, and other technologies, the highest module efficiencies of exhibited products were concentrated at around 24.8%, with maximum power reaching 670 W. However, products currently ready for mass production remain concentrated in the 635–650 W range, indicating a gap between peak exhibited power and mass-production power.

BC products, meanwhile, continued to maintain their efficiency lead, with maximum module efficiency exceeding 25% and peak power reaching 680–690 W. Compared with TOPCon, BC retains a lead of around 10–20 W at the same top-end power level.

 

Residential rooftop: All-black format becomes mainstream as format competition continues 

For residential products, the all-black format has become mainstream, accounting for nearly 90% of exhibits this year.In terms of format selection, the 1762 mm format remains the market mainstream, supported by the complete 210RN standardization framework and supply chain scale advantages. The 1800 mm format, meanwhile, is gradually gaining market attention, benefiting from the relaxation of Germany’s two-square-meter rule and the power advantage enabled by a larger module area. However, its wider adoption will still depend on continued efforts by LONGi and other BC manufacturers. The two formats are more likely to coexist with differentiated positioning than replace one another.

According to InfoLink statistics, TOPCon capacity incorporating Poly Finger and edge passivation technologies each exceeded 200 GW by the end of May 2026, while TOPCon 3.0 capacity reached 90 GW and will gradually come online in 2H26. BC capacity is conservatively estimated to reach 95 GW by year-end, with the potential to reach 115 GW under an optimistic scenario.
 

Conclusion

Intersolar Europe 2026 presented two parallel narratives. On the technology front, manufacturers continued to push toward higher efficiency and higher power, with competition becoming increasingly intense. On the market front, Europe’s capacity addition growth has stalled, policy uncertainty is rising, and freight and cost fluctuations remain frequent. The complexity of the supply chain has not eased despite cooling demand.

For companies targeting the European market, the key to competitiveness in 2H26 will be not only capturing the technology window, but also managing policy risks, inventory, and pricing rhythms with greater precision.

For more detailed analysis, see InfoLink Intersolar Europe 2026 Post-Event Report—PV (June 2026).

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