Europe’s Solar Build-Out Still Runs on Chinese Panels Europe keeps adding solar capacity, but the trade data shows the energy transition remains structurally dependent on Chinese manufacturing. ## Europe is still installing — but on imported hardware Europe's solar market did manage to grow again in 2024, though much more slowly than the boom year before. SolarPower Europe said the EU added 65.5 GW of new solar capacity in 2024, edging above 2023's 62.8 GW but marking a sharp slowdown in growth. That topline matters because it shows solar deployment is still happening at scale. But the more revealing number comes from trade data. Eurostat said the EU imported €19.7 billion worth of solar panels in 2023 and that China accounted for 98% of all extra-EU solar panel imports. Its updated 2024 trade data tells the same strategic story: China remained by far the largest partner, again accounting for…