The global solar panel supply chain overview
If you guessed China makes most of the world’s solar panels, you’d be right. They make over 80%, and 97% of the wafers. So even if you buy “American” or “UK” panels, they were probably only assembled there from Chinese parts. That said, there are some non-Chinese panels and local supply chains if you’re concerned about ethical production.
Let’s see why it ended up this way.
- China makes about 80% of finished panels. Its share is even higher upstream, around 94% of polysilicon and roughly 97% of wafers.
- The world’s top four makers are all Chinese. JinkoSolar, LONGi, JA Solar and Trina Solar together ship more than 40% of the world’s panels.
- Brand nationality isn’t where it’s made. Many European- and American-branded panels are assembled in Asia or built from Chinese cells and wafers.
- Other countries are small but growing. India and the US are expanding behind tariffs and subsidies, but from a low base.
- Concentration cuts both ways. It helped make panels over 80% cheaper, and it created a supply chain that leans heavily on one country.
China’s grip, stage by stage
A solar panel isn’t made in one step. It passes through four main stages, and China’s share is high at every one, especially upstream of final assembly.
| Stage | What happens | China’s share |
|---|---|---|
| Polysilicon | Raw silicon purified into feedstock | ~94% |
| Ingots & wafers | Silicon grown into crystals, sliced into wafers | ~97% |
| Cells | Wafers turned into light-converting cells | ~90% |
| Modules | Cells wired and sealed into finished panels | ~80% |
The wafer stage is the tightest chokepoint of all: almost every solar wafer in the world starts life in China, wherever the finished panel is assembled.
Who else makes solar panels
China is the story, but it isn’t the whole map. A handful of other countries make panels, mostly at a fraction of China’s scale and often, in Southeast Asia’s case, in Chinese-owned factories set up to serve export markets and navigate tariffs.
| Country / region | Rough share of modules | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| China | ~80% | Jinko, LONGi, JA Solar, Trina lead the world |
| Rest of Asia-Pacific | Under 10% | Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand |
| India | ~6% | Growing fast on state incentives |
| United States | ~6% | First Solar, Qcells; expanding on subsidies |
| Europe | Small | Mostly lost; some polysilicon and assembly |
Why “European” and “American” panels are often Chinese
This is the point that catches buyers out. A brand’s headquarters tells you very little about where its panels are actually made. Many well-known “European” or “American” solar brands design and market their products in the West but manufacture in Asia, or import Chinese cells and wafers and assemble them elsewhere. A panel can carry a German or American name, be assembled in Vietnam, and still be built almost entirely from Chinese silicon.
If avoiding Chinese content is your goal, the brand on the box won’t get you there on its own.
How China came to dominate
The concentration didn’t happen by accident. In 2003, Chinese companies made about 1% of the world’s solar cells. Two decades of deliberate industrial strategy changed that completely. Sustained government support, tens of billions invested in manufacturing capacity, far more than Europe spent, cheap energy and labour, and relentless vertical integration (one company owning several stages of the chain) let Chinese firms build enormous scale.
That scale helped cut the cost of solar panels by more than 80%, a big reason solar is now the cheapest source of new electricity in much of the world, and why a home system can pay back in years rather than decades.
The concerns and the trade-off
Concentration risk
Depending on one country for most of a strategic technology is a vulnerability. Trade disputes, tariffs, export controls or disruption in China ripple through the entire global solar market, affecting price and availability everywhere, including the UK.
Ethical sourcing
A significant share of the world’s polysilicon originates in Xinjiang, a region subject to serious and well-documented human-rights concerns, including allegations of forced labour. This has led to import restrictions in some countries and growing pressure on manufacturers and buyers to trace and verify their supply chains.
The other side of the ledger
Diversifying the supply chain, through growth in India, Southeast Asia, the US and a revival in Europe, would improve resilience, but it would also raise costs, at least at first. The honest position is that concentration is both a big reason solar is cheap and a risk worth reducing over time.
Can you buy non-Chinese panels?
You can get closer, but a genuinely China-free panel is hard to find. Some US-made modules, First Solar’s utility-scale thin-film in particular, and a small number of European-made or Indian-made panels offer alternatives, though even these can contain some Chinese material upstream. For most UK buyers, insisting on a non-Chinese panel narrows the field sharply and pushes up the price.
The more useful approach for a home installation is to focus on what actually affects your outcome: panel quality, efficiency, the strength and credibility of the warranty, and the track record of an MCS-certified installer.
- If origin matters to you, ask where each stage is made, from polysilicon to module, and ask for it in writing.
- If ethics drive the decision, look for manufacturers publishing supply-chain traceability.
Frequently asked questions
Are any solar panels made in the UK or Europe?
Very little manufacturing remains in Europe, and effectively none at scale in the UK. Almost all panels sold in the UK are made in Asia, mostly China.
Made in China, and built into the price you pay
For your own roof, let quality, warranty and installer lead the decision, not the country on the label. If origin or ethics matter to you, that’s legitimate, but the only way to act on it is to trace the supply chain stage by stage and pay the premium a documented alternative carries.
SOURCES: Supply-chain shares per IEA PVPS industry data and the International Energy Agency’s Solar PV Global Supply Chains analysis. Manufacturer rankings and shipment figures per industry trackers. Figures are approximate, drawn from the most recent available data, and shift year to year as capacity is added outside China.
DISCLAIMER: This guide is general information about solar manufacturing, not buying or ethical-sourcing advice. Country-of-origin and supply-chain claims vary by manufacturer and change over time; verify current details directly with the manufacturer or installer before relying on them.
UPDATED & FACT-CHECKED: 18 October 2026.
