This comes after he announces plans to build large-scale solar-cell production in the US
Published Wed, Feb 4, 2026 · 04:52 PM
[BEIJING/LOS ANGELES] Chinese solar shares jumped during morning trading on Wednesday (Feb 4).
This comes after the local media reported that delegations sent by Elon Musk visited various companies in the sector, days after he had announced plans to build large-scale solar-cell production in the US.
The China Securities Index (CSI) All Share Solar Power Equipment Sub-Industry Index rose 6.8 per cent by the lunch break on Wednesday, while the CSI SH-HK-SZ Solar Power 50 Index was up 5.6 per cent.
A team sent by the Tesla co-founder recently visited several photovoltaic companies in China.
This includes firms involved in equipment, silicon wafers, battery modules and perovskite technology, based on a report published on Tuesday by private Chinese media company Sina Finance, which cited sources in the Chinese solar industry.
The report did not name any companies.
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Shortly afterwards, state-backed media group 21st Century Business Herald reported that Chinese solar giant JinkoSolar had confirmed a visit from the team.
JinkoSolar shares rose 20 per cent on Wednesday to their daily limit, while Trina Solar shares were up 9 per cent in afternoon trading.
Tesla and JinkoSolar were approached for comments about the visit, and they have not responded.
Musk announced plans to build 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar-cell capacity in the US during a Tesla earnings call on Jan 28. Several days earlier at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he had said that the US could produce all its electricity needs from solar power.
He added: “The solar opportunity is underestimated. We’re going to work towards getting 100 GW a year of solar-cell production, integrating across the entire supply chain, from raw materials to already-finished solar panels.”
The US solar market is heavily protected by the tariffs designed to stop imports of cheaper panels and cells from China and South-east Asia, where many Chinese companies have subsidiaries.
However, many US domestic producers still have links to Chinese manufacturers.
The US installed 11.7 GW in the third quarter of 2025. In the first three quarters of the year, more than 30 GW were installed. REUTERS
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