Page 202 - 2023 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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3 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
43 GW in global wind turbine orders equates to that Chinese officials drafted regulations to make
an estimated US$18.1 billion. With ambitious sure developers don’t put them on land needed for
decarbonization targets, China aims to support other uses. And new data suggests the solar frenzy
an estimated average build of more than 55 GW has only just begun. Solar panels have overtaken
per year over the next 10 years. In Q2 alone, China wind turbines in the world’s biggest renewables
accounted for a record 35 GW of activity and is at market as photovoltaic manufacturers ramp up
45 GW year-to-date (Buljan). output to lead the energy transition. China’s solar
capacity rose 1.9 percent to 349.9 gigawatts in
China is planning the world’s largest wind farm, August 2022, surpassing wind. The country will
a facility so huge it could power the whole of have more capacity from panels than turbines on
Norway. Chaozhou - a city in China's Guangdong an annual basis for the first time by the end of
province - has revealed ambitious plans for a 43.3 2022. It’s unlikely solar will relinquish that lead.
gigawatt facility in the Taiwan Strait. Operating Driven by a supply chain that has slashed costs and
between 75 and 185 kilometres offshore, the boosted efficiency while massively increasing the
10km long farm will feature thousands of number of panels it can produce, the technology
powerful turbines. Because of the windy location, is now the cheapest energy option in many places.
these turbines will be able to run between 43 In terms of capacity, solar overtook wind globally
percent and 49 percent of the time. Work on the in 2019 and is expected to be twice as large by
project will start before 2025, the province says. 2030. Both solar and onshore wind are cheaper on
Once completed, it will eclipse the world’s current a new-build basis than gas and coal. And turbines
largest wind farm. The title is currently held by the still generate much more power than panels over
Jiuquan Wind Power base in China, a massive site the course of a year because they’re in use far
with a 20 gigawatt capacity (Elton). more often. The main driver for solar’s dominance
is larger and more sophisticated factories that
China debuts an offshore wind turbine with the increase economies of scale. Even with an uptick in
world’s largest rotor diameter. The 13.6 megawatt the price of modules in 2022 because of a shortage
(MW) offshore wind turbine with a record- of key material polysilicon, the cost of solar power
breaking rotor diameter of 252 meters (827 feet) in China is about US$44 per megawatt-hour, down
has debuted in China. The offshore wind turbine, from US$183 in early 2014. The technology’s
which was announced on October 13 as having versatility is also a plus. While both wind and solar
rolled off the production line in Fuqing City, east are benefiting from China’s plans to build massive
China’s Fujian Province, covers a swept area of arrays of panels and turbines in the country’s
50,000 square meters (538,196 square feet), which vast deserts, solar is getting an additional boost
is equivalent to seven soccer fields. The wind from a government scheme supporting so-called
turbine is now the largest single-unit turbine in the distributed generation. More than 600 cities and
Asia-Pacific region, and its rotor diameter beats counties are taking part in a program designed to
the previous title holder, Danish wind giant Vestas’ boost rooftop solar by aggregating small projects
V236-15.0 MW turbine, which has a rotor diameter into larger batches, luring bigger developers.
of 236 meters (774 feet). The new offshore wind More than half of all solar installations in China
turbine can generate 63.5 million kWh per year, were on roofs in 2021. Space for all of these panels
and it’s capable of supplying 30,000 “three-person is becoming a concern. The Ministry of Water
households” (the average Chinese household has Resources issued a rule in May 2022 banning
three people) with power. It is reported to be able projects on some waterways, lakes and reservoirs
to reduce coal by 19,000 metric tons and CO2 to protect ecology and prevent over-development
emissions by 48,000 metric tons (Lewis). that could disrupt flood control. A separate draft
regulation is under consideration that would
Solar Power prohibit new solar projects on cultivated land or
forests. Still, that won’t be too large a speed bump
In some ways solar is having too much success for solar uptake. China could install as much as
in China. Installing panels has become so popular 100 gigawatts of panels in 2022, nearly doubling a
record set in 2021 (Murtaugh).
202
43 GW in global wind turbine orders equates to that Chinese officials drafted regulations to make
an estimated US$18.1 billion. With ambitious sure developers don’t put them on land needed for
decarbonization targets, China aims to support other uses. And new data suggests the solar frenzy
an estimated average build of more than 55 GW has only just begun. Solar panels have overtaken
per year over the next 10 years. In Q2 alone, China wind turbines in the world’s biggest renewables
accounted for a record 35 GW of activity and is at market as photovoltaic manufacturers ramp up
45 GW year-to-date (Buljan). output to lead the energy transition. China’s solar
capacity rose 1.9 percent to 349.9 gigawatts in
China is planning the world’s largest wind farm, August 2022, surpassing wind. The country will
a facility so huge it could power the whole of have more capacity from panels than turbines on
Norway. Chaozhou - a city in China's Guangdong an annual basis for the first time by the end of
province - has revealed ambitious plans for a 43.3 2022. It’s unlikely solar will relinquish that lead.
gigawatt facility in the Taiwan Strait. Operating Driven by a supply chain that has slashed costs and
between 75 and 185 kilometres offshore, the boosted efficiency while massively increasing the
10km long farm will feature thousands of number of panels it can produce, the technology
powerful turbines. Because of the windy location, is now the cheapest energy option in many places.
these turbines will be able to run between 43 In terms of capacity, solar overtook wind globally
percent and 49 percent of the time. Work on the in 2019 and is expected to be twice as large by
project will start before 2025, the province says. 2030. Both solar and onshore wind are cheaper on
Once completed, it will eclipse the world’s current a new-build basis than gas and coal. And turbines
largest wind farm. The title is currently held by the still generate much more power than panels over
Jiuquan Wind Power base in China, a massive site the course of a year because they’re in use far
with a 20 gigawatt capacity (Elton). more often. The main driver for solar’s dominance
is larger and more sophisticated factories that
China debuts an offshore wind turbine with the increase economies of scale. Even with an uptick in
world’s largest rotor diameter. The 13.6 megawatt the price of modules in 2022 because of a shortage
(MW) offshore wind turbine with a record- of key material polysilicon, the cost of solar power
breaking rotor diameter of 252 meters (827 feet) in China is about US$44 per megawatt-hour, down
has debuted in China. The offshore wind turbine, from US$183 in early 2014. The technology’s
which was announced on October 13 as having versatility is also a plus. While both wind and solar
rolled off the production line in Fuqing City, east are benefiting from China’s plans to build massive
China’s Fujian Province, covers a swept area of arrays of panels and turbines in the country’s
50,000 square meters (538,196 square feet), which vast deserts, solar is getting an additional boost
is equivalent to seven soccer fields. The wind from a government scheme supporting so-called
turbine is now the largest single-unit turbine in the distributed generation. More than 600 cities and
Asia-Pacific region, and its rotor diameter beats counties are taking part in a program designed to
the previous title holder, Danish wind giant Vestas’ boost rooftop solar by aggregating small projects
V236-15.0 MW turbine, which has a rotor diameter into larger batches, luring bigger developers.
of 236 meters (774 feet). The new offshore wind More than half of all solar installations in China
turbine can generate 63.5 million kWh per year, were on roofs in 2021. Space for all of these panels
and it’s capable of supplying 30,000 “three-person is becoming a concern. The Ministry of Water
households” (the average Chinese household has Resources issued a rule in May 2022 banning
three people) with power. It is reported to be able projects on some waterways, lakes and reservoirs
to reduce coal by 19,000 metric tons and CO2 to protect ecology and prevent over-development
emissions by 48,000 metric tons (Lewis). that could disrupt flood control. A separate draft
regulation is under consideration that would
Solar Power prohibit new solar projects on cultivated land or
forests. Still, that won’t be too large a speed bump
In some ways solar is having too much success for solar uptake. China could install as much as
in China. Installing panels has become so popular 100 gigawatts of panels in 2022, nearly doubling a
record set in 2021 (Murtaugh).
202
