In response to a relative slump in Solar Power and Photovoltaic sales in domestic and international markets, China's State Council has backed a target for the country to massively increase installed solar power to 35GW by 2015.
China's installed capacity for solar electricity generation is planned to exceed 35GW by 2015, a huge increase from the current reported capacity of between 7-8 GW. This means China is looking to install and commission more than 10GW a year annually from 2013 - 2015.
The move comes as a response to a global slump in solar product sales due to industry pressures of overcapacity, weaker global demand and increased competition for overseas trade. This is an interesting move as China's previous target was to achieve just 21GW in operation by 2015 so, an increase of 14GW will present China's solar industry with a huge uplift but also a large logistical programme to deliver.
The enlarged programme will consist of a number of council measures to support both the financing of new solar projects and to help improve the efficiency of the solar energy supply chain.
Naturally, both American and European markets will be extremely interested in the news as China is widely accepted to be a dominant force in solar panel manufacture.
Recently both the US and EU have placed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on some Chinese-made solar products as a result of overcapacity, over supply and extremely low prices for imported products. This has presented Chinese manufacturers and exporters with a major challenge as many have invested heavily in increased manufacturing capacity.
China's announcement to accelerate solar installation and commissioning is a great step forward for the solar power market globally, the Chinese solar manufacturers and a huge leap forward for the sustainable generation of electricity in China.
Further reading
Bloomberg Business Week
The Wall Street Journal
China Daily