With manufacturing capacity ranking number 5 in the world in 2005, China is rapidly emerging as an important player in the global silicon solar cell and module market. Production capacity has been growing by more than 70% per year over the last 7 years and future ambitious plans for the further expansion of the domestic production are likely to transform China in one of the largest (if not the largest) PV hubs in the world. However China's ability to fulfil its goals is challenged in the short term by a global shortage of silicon and in the medium to long term by the ability of the government to stimulate innovation and to introduce the necessary incentives to grow the domestic market significantly given that 80% of the production is currently exported to Germany and the USA.The article addresses these issues by reviewing the recent technological and market trends in the Chinese PV industry. It also explains the major domestic manufacturing strategies and indicates the possible future direction of photovoltaic power generation in China. The study is based on personal interviews conducted in China from May to July 2005 with the major players along the solar supply chain, as well as with representatives of the Chinese photovoltaic R&D sector and policy makers.
Under the ecological crisis, climate change threatens the survival and development of human beings, the total amount of industrial carbon emissions continues to increase, a serious threat to the harmonious development of man and nature, promote low-carbon economy and ecological civilization is imminent. Low-carbon independent innovation has become an inevitable choice for China to develop low-carbon economy, but also a powerful weapon for China to adjust its economic structure, cope with international competition and improve its comprehensive national strength. Independent innovation model as a way to improve the capacity of independent innovation experience, has become the key to achieving low-carbon independent innovation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.