By the end of 2003, a number of government
and international development
initiatives – most notably the Brightness Project launched in 2000
– had helped raise China’s installed
capacity to a claimed 58 MW.
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By the end of 2003, a number of government
and international development
initiatives – most notably the Brightness Project launched in 2000
– had helped raise China’s installed
capacity to a claimed 58 MW.
This places China fifth only to Japan, Germany, USA and India in terms of PV use. Some 60 % of this was added in the last two years alone, which has been a strong incentive for local industry development.
In the five years prior to 2000 production had been stable, if unremarkable, at around 1,5-2 MW/year, driven largely by rural demand for solar home systems. Manufacturing techniques were considered rather outdated by international standards, while questionable quality and above market average prices meant that international demand for Chinese product was limited. However, that situation has rapidly changed: industry investment, including a number of new international joint-ventures are bringing China’s production methods, scale and standards in line with current international practice. The largest module manufacturer now exports 60 % of its product to Europe, USA and other markets and is targeting a four-fold increase in production to 100 MW by 2006.
Domestically, with an estimated potential demand for village power of 15 GW, there is considerable scope for much more widespread use of PV. In the face of this, the central government target of 1 GW by 2020 seems rather conservative. Industry itself, backed by the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), is far more ambitious, aiming for over 30 GW in the same timeframe, with a far stronger emphasis on grid-connected and building integrated PV, and large-scale (desert) systems. Despite its cautious target, the national government is investing heavily in PV and other alternative energy developments, recently committing 140 billion CNY (16,9 billion USD) to non-nuclear new and renewable power generation by 2020. A New Renewable Energy Promotion Law is also under development and could be introduced by 2006.
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