China’s solar push sees 3.3 GW already added in 2014

• 10 years ago (2014-08-11)
• Junior Isles

Asia 892 North America 1021 Renewables 776

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China has been accelerating its adoption of solar power first half of 2014, adding 3.3 GW of installed capacity over the six months up to June 30th, according to a statement from the National Energy Administration (NEA).

The capacity added this year is equal to all of Australia’s installed solar capacity at the end of 2013 and double China’s total solar installation for 2013. China now has 23 GW of installed solar capacity in total.

China’s recent solar and renewable energy growth has been spurred by increasing public attention to the problem of air pollution in many urban areas.

The Beijing government recently ordered official vehicles off the roads and encouraged the use of public transport to reduce smog during a key international meeting.

Large solar projects accounted for 2.3 GW of the new capacity, with distributed projects making up the remaining 1 GW, the NEA revealed.

Xinjiang region in China’s northwest saw the largest gains, with 900 MW of solar PV added in total, followed by Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Shanxi.

The NEA is aiming to install 13 GW of solar power capacity during 2014, primarily through support for distributed solar, revealed the Xinhua News Agency, quoting NEA’s head Wu Xinxiong.

Further policies to support distributed solar are expected to be announced in August, though no official confirmation has been forthcoming.