SEMI and CPIA release new recommendations for China PV policy roadmap

SHANGHAI, CHINA: The SEMI PV Group announced the availability of “China’s Solar Future — A Recommended China PV Policy Roadmap 2.0,” a report containing specific recommendations for a China photovoltaic (PV) policy roadmap.

The report — prepared by SEMI PV Group, the SEMI China PV Advisory Committee, and the China PV Industry Alliance (CPIA) — recommends that, using the IEA Solar PV Roadmap as a benchmark, China should reach a global average PV electricity penetration level of 1.3 percent PV electricity by 2020, and 4.6 percent PV electricity by 2030. A dramatic increase in government support will be required to achieve these goals.

China will need to have 60 GW installed PV capacity by year 2020 and 270 GW by year 2030. China’s current PV power consumption is less than 1 GW — well below Japan, the US and many European countries.

The report presents an overview of China’s energy profile, growing need for energy, the benefits of PV, and the global status of the PV industry. It delineates a PV installation roadmap with clear annual targets up to year 2030. The report also looks at different government incentive models and offers a number of policy recommendations. These recommendations are a follow-up to the China policy paper issued by SEMI PV Group in 2009.

As the world’s fastest growing developing country, China faces a rapidly increasing demand for energy and the country has also been building a massive PV industry representing all facets of the supply chain, from polysilicon feedstock, ingots and wafers to cells and modules. Yet virtually all of this PV production has been exported. The report recommends an accelerated adoption of PV generated electric power in China to reach global average level of PV power generation by 2020. A healthy PV demand market in China will be very important for the sustainability of China's PV industry.

“Driven by increasing global demand, Chinese companies have been rapidly ramping up production capacities, making China the world’s top producer of PV cells and modules. In 2010, China produced more than 50 percent of global total production of solar cells and modules,” said Allen Lu, president of the SEMI China.

“However, on the PV installation front, the situation is quite different. It is hoped that the goals presented in the recommended policy roadmap will serve as a reference document for the Chinese government when setting national targets and new policies for PV. The exact outcome is still unclear, but what’s certain is that relying only on hydro, wind, and nuclear will not be sufficient for China to address the challenges of climate change and energy security. PV must be an important part of the solution.”