China doubles solar power target to 10 GW by 2015 and 50 GW by 2020

China has doubled its target for installed photovoltaic power capacity over the next five years to 10 gigawatt (GW) by 2015, the Shanghai Securities News said on Friday, citing an official from the research arm of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The government has also raised its installed solar capacity target for 2020 to 50 GW, up from the previous goal of 20 GW, said Li Junfeng, deputy director-general of the Energy Research Institute of the NDRC.

China’s current installed solar capacity is less than one gigawatt, the official China Daily said last month.

Li said China will soon publish a five-year blueprint and other supportive policies for the solar power industry.

Cost Comparison of PV with
Other Electricity Options (22 pages). A biased to solar energy comparison from George Washington University

2 Gigawatts of Photovoltaic in China – about 3 billion kWh/yr – 25 square miles

10 Gigawatts is expected to produce about 15 billion kWh/yr
50 Gigawatts is expected to produce about 150 billion kWh/yr

Ken Zweibel, Director, The GW Solar Institute, The George Washington University

• 2008 $4/W installed systems
• 2009 $3-$3.5/W
– Competitive in CA w/high electricity prices
• 2015 $2.5/W
– Competitive CA, AZ, NV, NM, TX, CO, UT with high
electricity prices
• 2020 $2/W
– Competitive in Southwest with all electricity prices
• 2025 $1.5/W
– Competitive throughout US with all electricity prices
• 2030 $1.25/W – competitive everywhere

In 2010, electricity consumption rose 14.56% year-on-year to well over 4.19 trillion kWh in 2010, according to the China Electricity Council (CEC). The 2010 growth rate was 8.12 percentage points higher than the previous year. The CEC also said that China’s investment in the power sector reached 705.1 billion yuan ($105.24 billion) last year, down 8.45% from a year earlier. By the end of 2010, China’s installed power generating capacity rose 10.07% year-on-year to 962 million kilowatts.

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