BEIJING: The use of solar energy has increased in China, moving from 0.08 percent in 2000 to 2 percent in 2014. The increase has come from various large-scale solar farms dotted across China, but the government wants more solar adoption in the cities.
China expects to install 8 gigawatt of small solar systems this year, more than 10 times what was built last year. The large investment in solar energy will come from various outlets. China is currently the largest solar market in the world, and analysts predict it will surpass 5 percent usage in the next two years.
Currently, the country has almost 20 gigawatt of solar capacity at the end of 2013, a figure comparable to about 20 nuclear reactors. Right now, China relies heavily on coal production for most energy needs. Coal currently produces 64 percent electricity, but a 4 percent decrease has been witnessed since 2010. Moving away from coal is a top priority for China’s environmental effort.
Compared to the US, China installed 13 gigawatt power station last year, almost surpassing all of the US solar efforts. Several European countries have adopted small-scale solar operations, but are also looking forwards wind and hydro-electricity to supply clean energy.
Pollution rate in China is extremely high, with plenty of urban factories leading to dense clouds of smoke. Environmental agencies have labelled China as one of the largest polluters in the world.
