
Photovoltaic research in China began in 1958 with the development of China's first piece of . Research continued with the development of solar cells for space satellites in 1968. The Institute of Semiconductors of the led this research for a year, stopping after batteries failed to operate. Other research institutions continued the developm. China surpassed Germany as the world's largest producer of photovoltaic energy in 2015, [2][3] and became the first country to have over 100 GW of total installed photovoltaic capacity in 2017. [4] [pdf]
With the world's largest, most complete new-energy industry chain, China is expected to install 230 to 260 gigawatts of solar capacity this year, topping the record of 217 GW set last year, according to the China Photovoltaic Industry Association.
China can now make more solar power than the rest of the world. Data released by China’s National Agency last week revealed that the country’s solar electric power generation capacity grew by a staggering 55.2 percent in 2023. The numbers highlight over 216 gigawatts (GW) of solar power China built during the year.
As of at least 2024, China has one third of the world's installed solar panel capacity. Most of China's solar power is generated within its western provinces and is transferred to other regions of the country.
China is on track to set a new record for solar power installations in 2024, driven by falling production costs and increased global interest in renewable energy, said industry experts and company executives.
"Solar PV installations have maintained a quite high pace this year, and we had seen an average of over 18 GW of monthly installations this year in China till October," said Zhu Yicong, vice-president of renewables and power research at global consultancy Rystad Energy.
As such, critics argue that investments into renewable energy sources such as solar power are means to increase the power of the central state rather than protect the environment. This argument has been complemented by China's expansion of fossil fuel plants in conjunction with solar energy.

Photovoltaic research in China began in 1958 with the development of China's first piece of . Research continued with the development of solar cells for space satellites in 1968. The Institute of Semiconductors of the led this research for a year, stopping after batteries failed to operate. Other research institutions continued the developm. China produces 63% of the world's solar photovoltaics (PV). [45] [pdf]
Global solar PV manufacturing capacity has increasingly moved from Europe, Japan and the United States to China over the last decade. China has invested over USD 50 billion in new PV supply capacity – ten times more than Europe − and created more than 300 000 manufacturing jobs across the solar PV value chain since 2011.
China has invested over USD 50 billion in new PV supply capacity – ten times more than Europe − and created more than 300 000 manufacturing jobs across the solar PV value chain since 2011. Today, China’s share in all the manufacturing stages of solar panels (such as polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells and modules) exceeds 80%.
In 2019, China's newly installed grid-connected photovoltaic capacity reached 30.1GW, a year-on-year decrease of 31.99%, of which the installed capacity of centralized photovoltaic power plants was 17.9GW, a year-on-year decrease of 22.9%; the installed capacity of distributed photovoltaic power plants was 12.2GW, a year-on-year increase of 17.3%.
Most of China's solar power is generated within its western provinces and is transferred to other regions of the country. In 2011, China owned the largest solar power plant in the world at the time, the Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park, which had a photovoltaic capacity of 200 MW.
As of at least 2024, China has one third of the world's installed solar panel capacity. Most of China's solar power is generated within its western provinces and is transferred to other regions of the country.
Continuous innovation led by China has halved the emissions intensity of solar PV manufacturing since 2011. This is the result of more efficient use of materials and energy – and greater low-carbon electricity production.

is the largest market in the world for both and . China's photovoltaic industry began by making panels for , and transitioned to the manufacture of domestic panels in the late 1990s. After substantial government incentives were introduced in 2011, China's solar power market grew dramatically: the country became the Solar panels typically must generate electricity for at least seven months to recoup the electricity that was needed to make them. Coal provides two-thirds of China's electricity at low cost. [pdf]
Solar power contributes to a small portion of China's total energy use, accounting for 3.5% of China's total energy capacity in 2020. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the 2020 Climate Ambition Summit that China plans to have 1,200 GW of combined solar and wind energy capacity by 2030.
China has already made major commitments to transitioning its energy systems towards renewables, especially power generation from solar, wind and hydro sources. However, there are many unknowns about the future of solar energy in China, including its cost, technical feasibility and grid compatibility in the coming decades.
The researchers first found that the physical potential of solar PV, which includes how many solar panels can be installed and how much solar energy they can generate, in China reached 99.2 petawatt-hours in 2020.
In the first nine months of 2017, China saw 43 GW of solar energy installed in the first nine months of the year and saw a total of 52.8 GW of solar energy installed for the entire year. 2017 is currently the year with the largest addition of solar energy capacity in China.
In 2020, China saw an increase in annual solar energy installations with 48.4 GW of solar energy capacity being added, accounting for 3.5% of China's energy capacity that year. 2020 is currently the year with the second-largest addition of solar energy capacity in China's history.
Solar panels typically must generate electricity for at least seven months to recoup the electricity needed to make them. Coal provides two-thirds of China’s electricity at low cost. But Chinese companies are reducing costs further by installing solar farms in the deserts of western China, where public land is essentially free.
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