China expected to add up to 90 GW of solar power capacity, a record increase, in 2022

The China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) said today that it expects China to add 75 to 90 gigawatts (GW) of solar power in 2022.

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That’s a lot higher than the 54.88 GW of the record solar power that China brought online last year. Last year’s solar addition brought China’s total installed solar capacity to 306 GW. 

According to the CPIA, China could see between 83 and 99 GW of new solar capacity added annually between 2022 and 2025.

Reuters reports:

China plans to boost rooftop solar power in central and eastern parts of the country that are close to consumers and offer easier access to the grid.

Projects to build more large-scale solar stations in the Gobi and other desert regions in the west are also in the pipeline, with construction for about 100 GW of solar power capacity already under way in the area.

Wang Bohua, honorary chairman of the CPIA, said today at a conference:

Distributed solar power accounted for over 50% of total newly installed solar capacity for the first time in 2021. Looking ahead, we will see distributed solar power and centralised solar farms grow at the same pace.

Bohua also said that solar manufacturing growth in the US and Europe will become a challenge to China’s solar manufacturing industry.

China’s export of solar photovoltaic products increased by about 60% to $28.4 billion dollars in 2021, according to China’s ministry of industry and information technology.

Read more: World’s largest floating solar farm comes online with wind and storage

Photo: China News Service