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October 14, 2005
China sets targets for solar power generation
The Chinese government, which has issued a Renewable Energy Law and signed the Kyoto Protocol limiting carbon dioxide emissions, has promised that renewable energy will make up 10% of the country's total installed capacity of power generation by 2020.
The solar energy sector has generated two major industries, that is, the solar energy heat utilization industry and the solar energy photovoltaic industry. The solar energy heat utilization industry mainly produces solar water heaters. China's annual production of solar water heaters has reached 10 million sets, saving the equivalent of 10 million tons of coal annually. Chinese sales of solar water heaters are 10 times more than that of Europe, and China now ranks first in the world in terms of solar water heater production and ownership.
The more important part of China's solar movement comes from the photovoltaic industry, which has been one of the fastest-growing industries in the country since the 1980s. The development of China's photovoltaic market in 2004 has surpassed any leaps in the history of industry, growing at an annual rate of 60.4%, and reaching 12 gigawatts (GW) of total production capacity.
China is promoting application of solar energy on a large scale, mainly in western areas that cannot be connected to national power grids, such as Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. The solar energy industry has entered a phase of rapid growth and profitability since 2003.
Posted by admin at October 14, 2005 02:38 PM