Bloomberg: ” China, the world’s biggest solar market for two years running, is pushing to install more panels at factories, schools and even greenhouses as it seeks to meet its goals under a historic climate agreement with the U.S.”
“China expects to install as much as 8 gigawatts of small solar systems this year, more than 10 times what was built last year. The country had almost 20 gigawatts of solar capacity at the end of 2013, a figure comparable to about 20 nuclear reactors. Most of that came from massive solar farms in remote locations and policy makers are now promoting smaller systems closer to where they’re needed.
….The figures show the changes. Coal made up 64 percent of China’s electricity mix in 2013, down from 68 percent in 2010, according to Bloomberg data. Solar’s proportion of electricity generation capacity rose to 2 percent, from 0.08 percent four years ago, doubling nuclear power’s share last year.
….SunEdison is in talks with a Chinese partner to build a factory in the country and agreed last month to jointly create a $220 million fund to develop as much as 1 gigawatt of solar projects there. China’s distributed solar market is going to be “enormous,” Chatila said.
….The country installed about 13 gigawatts of panels last year, almost matching the total amount of solar power in operation in the U.S., and 94 percent of that capacity came from utility-scale projects.
The agency asked local authorities to identify potential sites for rooftop plants and smaller, ground-mounted projects. These would include industrial and commercial companies with large rooftops, and public buildings such as railway stations and airport terminals. China has set a goal of installing 8 gigawatts of small systems this year and 6 gigawatts for larger projects.
….Distributed solar will look different in China, where land is state-owned and single-family houses are still relatively rare. While homeowners are driving the rooftop solar market in the U.S. and Europe, panels in China will be mostly found atop industrial and commercial buildings, as well as vacant lots, greenhouses, intertidal zones and the empty spaces around fishponds and lakes.
China is expected to add as much as 8 gigawatts of distributed solar systems in 2015, out of 15 gigawatts of total photovoltaic power, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Chinese manufacturers sold about $5 billion of shares from 2005 to 2010, and wrested control of the market from companies in the U.S., Germany and Japan. The added capacity drove down prices and pushed dozens of manufacturers into bankruptcy. Solar panels sell for 72 cents a watt now, compared with $2.01 at the end of 2010. The price has slipped 12 percent this year.”
Future Today
