Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-03-11 Origin: Site
With the advancement of the "dual carbon" goal and the maturity of photovoltaic (PV) technology, household PV has entered an increasing number of ordinary families, becoming a stable investment in many people's eyes that "earns money simply by harnessing sunlight". However, at the same time, questions such as "Will PV subsidies be cancelled?" and "Will future income continue to decline?" have been plaguing users who plan to install or have already installed household PV. Today, we integrate the latest policies, industry trends, and practical cases in 2026 to clarify the current status of subsidies, the controversy surrounding their cancellation, and the future income trends of household PV in one go, helping everyone make rational judgments and avoid misunderstandings.
Many users mistakenly believe that PV subsidies have been completely cancelled upon hearing the term "grid parity era", which is actually a common misunderstanding. In fact, the adjustment of China's PV subsidies has always followed the logic of "policy guidance → market maturity → subsidy phasing-out", rather than a simple "full withdrawal". This can be clearly understood from two aspects:
Looking back at the development history of PV subsidies, from the official launch of distributed PV subsidies in 2013 to the full cancellation of household PV subsidies in 2022, China's PV industry has completed a key transformation from "policy-driven" to "market-driven". Since 2021, the "first year" of PV grid parity, new PV projects have gradually adopted local coal-fired power benchmark prices, and national universal subsidies have basically withdrawn from the stage — this also means that it is now difficult to obtain a unified national feed-in tariff subsidy for new household PV installations, which is the main source of the "subsidy cancellation" claim.
However, this adjustment does not negate the PV industry; on the contrary, it precisely indicates that the industry has matured: the prices of core equipment such as PV modules and inverters have dropped significantly, and technical efficiency has continued to improve. Even without national subsidies, household PV can achieve stable income through "self-consumption and surplus power grid connection", no longer relying on policy support.
2. Local characteristic subsidies are still continuing, focusing on supporting specific scenarios
The withdrawal of national subsidies does not mean the disappearance of all subsidies. Since 2026, many regions have launched targeted local subsidies in line with their own new energy development plans, mainly focusing on fields such as distributed PV and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). Taking the first batch of renewable energy special funds in Shanghai in 2026 as an example, 821 residential distributed PV projects have been included in the reward list. Meanwhile, different feed-in tariff reward standards are provided for BIPV projects and PV power station projects. Among them, residential distributed PV projects are eligible for corresponding power generation rewards, with BIPV projects receiving a reward of 0.3 yuan per kilowatt-hour and some PV power station projects receiving 0.1 yuan per kilowatt-hour.
In addition to Shanghai, many provinces and cities across the country are also introducing similar policies. Subsidy forms include feed-in tariff subsidies, one-time installation subsidies, and equipment subsidies, with a focus on scenarios such as rural household use, old community renovation, and green building supporting facilities, which align with the needs of the "rural revitalization" and "dual carbon" strategies. In the future, local subsidies will tend to be "targeted and differentiated" rather than "universal", with the core goal of guiding the PV industry towards more efficient and people-oriented development.
3. The core logic of subsidy cancellation: allowing the industry to "stand firm" by its own strength
Many people worry that the cancellation of subsidies will affect household PV income, but from an industry development perspective, subsidy phasing-out is an inevitable trend and a sign of the industry's maturity. On the one hand, the improvement of the PV industrial chain has led to a year-on-year decrease in equipment costs. In 2026, the installation cost of household PV systems has dropped by nearly 40% compared with five years ago, and this cost reduction is sufficient to offset the income gap caused by the withdrawal of subsidies. On the other hand, the advancement of power market reform has provided PV power with more flexible income channels, no longer relying solely on "subsidies + benchmark electricity prices", which also serves as an important support for the smooth withdrawal of subsidies.
II. Household PV income trend after 2026: steady growth, relying on "3 core pillars"
After the withdrawal of subsidies, will household PV income "plummet"? The answer is no. Based on industry data, policy orientation, and practical cases, the future income of household PV will show a "steady growth" trend. Core income sources will shift from "subsidies + feed-in tariff" to three pillars: "saving electricity bills through self-consumption + earning electricity bills through surplus power grid connection + additional value". In the long run, it remains a stable investment option for families.
Pillar 1: Saving electricity bills through self-consumption, the most stable and direct income
For household PV, "self-consumption" is the core source of income and a "stable income" not affected by policy fluctuations. With the continuous growth of social electricity consumption, China's total social electricity consumption reached 9.85 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2024, an increase of 6.8% year-on-year, and it is expected to exceed 13 trillion kilowatt-hours by 2030. Resident electricity prices also show a trend of steady adjustment, and future electricity costs are likely to continue to rise.
The core advantage of household PV is its ability to directly meet a family's daily electricity needs and reduce electricity expenses. Taking a 10-kilowatt household PV system as an example, its average annual power generation is approximately 12,000 degrees. If a household's annual electricity consumption is 8,000 degrees, it can save about 4,000-5,000 yuan in electricity bills each year (calculated at a resident electricity price of 0.5-0.6 yuan per degree). This part of the income is guaranteed, and as electricity prices rise, the savings will increase year by year. Especially for families with high daytime electricity consumption (such as those working from home, running small shops, or using high-power household appliances), a higher proportion of self-consumption will result in more electricity bill savings and more considerable income.
Pillar 2: Earning electricity bills through surplus power grid connection, market-oriented transactions make income more flexible
After the withdrawal of subsidies, the feed-in tariff for surplus power is no longer dependent on "subsidies + benchmark electricity prices" but is gradually integrated into market-oriented power transactions, which will also become an important growth point for household PV income in the future. The "Notice on Deepening the Market-oriented Reform of New Energy Feed-in Tariffs and Promoting the High-quality Development of New Energy", jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration in 2025, marks that China's new energy feed-in tariffs have bid farewell to the era of government pricing and fully entered a new stage of market-oriented transactions. Surplus power from household PV can also obtain more reasonable income through market-oriented transactions.
Notably, this reform has introduced a new concept of "mechanism electricity price" as a "stabilizer" for PV income: when the market transaction price is lower than the mechanism electricity price, power grid enterprises will provide price difference compensation; when the market transaction price is higher than the mechanism electricity price, the price difference will be deducted. Through this "more refund, less compensation" method, it ensures users' reasonable income expectations and mitigates the impact of electricity price fluctuations. This model draws on the European government-mandated Contracts for Difference (CFD) model, which not only rationalizes the market-oriented electricity price mechanism but also guarantees the basic income of household PV users, making the income from surplus power grid connection more stable and reliable.
