In 2002, China’s first domestic photovoltaic (PV) cell production line was put into operation, with 10MW of capacity. In 2004, China began exporting PV cells to Europe, taking advantage of the development of PV power generation in European countries, especially Germany.
In the next 10 years, China’s solar PV power market will turn from independent power systems to grid-connected power systems, which will include desert power stations and city roof power systems. The growth route of the policies to the solar PV power projects are shown in
Photovoltaic cell production expanded in the following years, with 140 MW manufactured in 2005. Only 5 MW of solar energy was installed in China that year, however, as most of the manufactured photovoltaic cells were sold to European countries, with Germany being the largest buyer.
The results can be a useful reference for the development of solar PV power industry in China and other countries. With the rapid development in the last 30 years, China's energy demand has grown at a rapid pace.
Polysilicon is the key base material for the solar PV supply chain, while wafers (thin slices of semiconductors) are used to make integrated circuits in solar cells. According to Aditya Lolla, China’s battery manufacturing capacity in 2022 was 0.9 terawatt-hours, which is roughly 77% of the global share.
By 2023, the market share of almost every photovoltaic product in China ranks first in the world, among which photovoltaic modules account for more than 75%, battery cells account for more than 80%, and silicon wafers account for more than 95% of the global market share (Zhao, Yin, and Cui 2023).
OverviewHistorySolar resourcesSolar photovoltaicsConcentrated solar powerSolar water heatingEffects on the global solar power industryGovernment incentives
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. 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