Harvesting Sunlight: Solar Photovoltaic Industry in China

While China has been successful in the utilization of solar energy in terms of solar thermal applications, solar photovoltaics (PV) for electric power generation is only a fledgling industry in China. Despite the fact that China is the world's largest solar cell producer, the development of China's solar PV market has been sluggish. It was only in recent years that the installed capacity saw a moderate growth in the country. In the meantime, the focus is now undergoing a transition from off-grid to grid-connected applications, including building-integrated PV systems and large-scale PV power station. In the future, the domestic market has to be explored and the cost of solar electricity has to be reduced by developing the research and development of solar PV technologies.