Global InformationSolar power in China information
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China is the largest market in the world for both photovoltaics and solar thermal energy. China's photovoltaic industry began by making panels for satellites, and transitioned to the manufacture of domestic panels in the late 1990s.[1] After substantial government incentives were introduced in 2011, China's solar power market grew dramatically: the country became the world's leading installer of photovoltaics in 2013. China surpassed Germany as the world's largest producer of photovoltaic energy in 2015,[2][3] and became the first country to have over 100 GW of total installed photovoltaic capacity in 2017.[4]
At the end of 2020, China's total installed photovoltaic capacity was 253 GW, accounting for one-third of the world's total installed photovoltaic capacity (760.4 GW).[5] Most of China's solar power is generated within its western provinces and is transferred to other regions of the country. In 2011, China owned the largest solar power plant in the world at the time, the Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park, which had a photovoltaic capacity of 200 MW. In 2018, it held the record again with the Tengger Desert Solar Park with its photovoltaic capacity of 1.5 GW. China currently owns the second-largest solar plant in the world, the Huanghe Hydropower Hainan Solar Park, which has a capacity of 2.2 GW.[6] In 2023, China completed the world's largest hydro-solar power plant in Sichuan, which utilises the consistency in hydropower production to offset the variability in solar power.[7][8]
Solar power contributes to a small portion of China's total energy use, accounting for 3.5% of China's total energy capacity in 2020.[9] Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the 2020 Climate Ambition Summit that China plans to have 1,200 GW of combined solar and wind energy capacity by 2030.[10]
Solar water heating is also extensively implemented, with a total installed capacity of 290 GWth at the end of 2014, representing about 70% of world's total installed solar thermal capacity.[11][12]
The expansion of the solar sector in China has been criticized due to the large quantities of waste being produced and improperly disposed of from the production of photovoltaic cells.[13] Criticism over large amounts of unused energy being produced has appeared along with criticism over the forced removal of native populations for development land and the usage of forced labor in the production of photovoltaic cells.[14][15][16]
As of at least 2023, solar power is cheaper than coal-fired power in China.[17]: 167 By the first quarter of 2024, the momentum continued with China installing 45.7 gigawatts of photovoltaic panels, a 34% increase from the previous year. This reflects ongoing growth, although the increase was less than the 154% surge seen in early 2023, showing some variability in expansion rates.[18]
- ^ "中国光伏发展史 - 能源界". nengyuanjie.net. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ Rose, Adam (21 January 2016). "China's solar capacity overtakes Germany in 2015, industry data show". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ Hill, Joshua S. (22 January 2016). "China Overtakes Germany To Become World's Leading Solar PV Country". CleanTechnica. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "China has already surpassed its 2020 solar target". Unearthed. 24 August 2017. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Snapshot 2021". IEA-PVPS. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "China completes world's second-largest solar power plant". Balkan Green Energy News. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "World's largest solar-hydro plant creates power on Tibetan Plateau". South China Morning Post. 26 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Dua, Shubhangi (26 June 2023). "World's largest hydro-solar power plant enters full operation in China". interestingengineering.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Shukla, Harsh (21 January 2021). "China Adds 48.2 GW of Solar Capacity in 2020, its Second Best Year on Record". Mercom India. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "China's new 2030 climate commitments: Beyond peak emissions". IHS Markit. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "China's Big Push for Renewable Energy". Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
SHC-IEA_2014was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cha, Ariana (9 March 2008). "Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ Baker, Jill. "Solar Leader China Is Slashing Its Subsidies On Solar Power -- What You Need To Know". Forbes. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Li, Yifei (2020). China goes green: coercive environmentalism for a troubled planet. Judith Shapiro. Cambridge, UK. ISBN 978-1-5095-4311-3. OCLC 1137747668.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Reinsch, William Alan; Arrieta-Kenna, Seán (19 April 2021). "A Dark Spot for the Solar Energy Industry: Forced Labor in Xinjiang". csis.org. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Li, David Daokui (2024). China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0393292398.
- ^ "China's Rapid Solar Growth Slows as Grid Struggles to Keep Pace". Bloomberg.com. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.