What is unique about solar energy in China is that it was an important export industry in the early 2000s, before it emerged as a critical renewable energy industry.
Most of the solar power in Northwest China is generated inutility-scale solar power plants, which led to power production that exceeded the targeted level in recent years. At the same time, the local demand for electricity was not growing enough to match with the rise of power supply.
According to the research results, China's solar power sector must be developed for four significant reasons. First, most of China's energy generation system relies on fossil fuels, which not only harm the environment but are also quite expensive and put a tremendous strain on budgetary resources.
The researchers first found that the physical potential of solar PV, which includes how many solar panels can be installed and how much solar energy they can generate, in China reached 99.2 petawatt-hours in 2020.
Does solar energy grow in China?
Several scholars have analyzed the growth of solar energy in the Chinese context from various angles. Irfan et al. (2019a, b) emphasized the significance of solar energy for power production in China and evaluated the potential of electricity generation from solar sources.
What are some examples of solar energy production in China?
Moreover, some other PV productions have been utilized in China. For instance, the stand-alone solar lighting and the hybrid lighting system have been used to city road lighting by hundreds of Chinese cities. The solar DG and solar water pump have been used to supply electric power in remote villages.
China has already made major commitments to transitioning its energy systems towards renewables, especially power generation from solar, wind and hydro sources. However, there are many unknowns about the future of solar energy in China, including its cost, technical feasibility and grid compatibility in the coming decades.