Present status and prospects of photovoltaic market in China

In 2009, the photovoltaic (PV) industry expanded greatly in China. Developing PV technology is both necessary and urgent, as China is a large country, which consumes huge amounts of energy. In addition, because China has a natural advantage of excellent solar resources, its government has provided significant support in this field. In order to motivate the PV industry, the Ministries of Finance and Construction established coordinated policies to offer financial inducements. The government will implement the Jintaiyang project in the near future: 15 billion US dollars will be invested and 294 demonstration projects will be built. The developing Chinese PV market holds great promise. The aim of this paper is to analyze the present status of the Chinese PV market, discuss the opportunities available, and the potential challenges anticipated in the developing process including some engineering roadblocks encountered in the PV system, and to outline possible future scenarios in this field.

Research highlights
► In 2009, the photovoltaic (PV) industry expanded greatly in China.
► The price of electricity generated by PV will be gradually reduced.
► A photovoltaic industrial chain in China has already formed.
► Research on PV systems will also promote the development of improved technologies.