Since the Hu Jintao regime, and highlighted further under Xi Jinping, China has sought to transform its economy through the huge investment in innovative technology. 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.
Solar energy in the transitioning of energy system (adapted from ). Currently, the market problem is considered to be the main obstacle that hinders the development of the PV industry in China. The country's domestic demand has lagged behind its expansion of manufacturing capacity.
So far, China's policy for solar energy is mainly manufacturing-oriented, and the astonishing boom of PV industry is attributable to its policies specifically for renewable energy, and more generally, for manufacturing .
BEIJING – China unleashed the full might of its solar energy industry in 2023. It installed more solar panels than the United States has in its history. It cut the wholesale price of panels it sells by nearly half. And its exports of fully assembled solar panels climbed 38 per cent, while its exports of key components almost doubled.
The first terrestrial application was in 1973 (the 15 Wp solar-powered navigation light in Tianjin Harbor). During the 1980s, China introduced several photovoltaic (PV) cell production lines from the United States, Canada, and other countries, which eventually formed the solar PV industry in China .
In 2023, clean power made up 35% of China’s electricity mix, with hydro the largest single source of clean power at 13%. Wind and solar hit a new record share of 16%, above the global average (13%). China generated 37% of global wind and solar electricity in 2023, enough to power Japan.