Innovation in China s Energy Chapter Solar Power Generation

What is China's Energy Strategy?

China's energy strategy is progressively shifting away from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy. The 14th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development outlines a target for renewable energy to comprise approximately 18 % of the nation's primary energy consumption by 2025, with expectations for wind and solar power generation to double.

How much money did China invest in solar power?

The program included small-scale hydropower, PV generation and wind-solar hybrid power systems. The expected total investment was 1.8 billion CNY (about 0.2 billion USD), 7 and the expected total installed capacity was 12 MW , , .

Why did entrepreneurship enter the innovation system in China?

Entrepreneurs entered the innovation system because of the high expectations of profitable business opportunities. However, it was the Chinese central government that in several policy plans highlighted the importance of renewable energy for the long-term future of China.

Why is the PV innovation system complete in China?

With the rapid rise of the Chinese PV manufacturing sector, it is the domestic market for PV that is the missing link which makes the PV innovation system complete. The small size of the domestic market is mainly due to the weak lobby network around PV, which is believed to be a common institutional problem in China.

Is China a leader in wind turbine innovation?

The results show again that Chinese patents are less likely to receive citations than are patents from other countries. These results place the recent global surge of wind turbine patents in perspective. A simple count of global patent activity might lead the observer to believe that China is a leader in wind turbine innovation.

How did China's solar PV industry benefit from a market-driven economy?

Finally, like all Chinese manufacturing industries in the 2000s, China-based solar PV manufacturers benefited from capital costs, land costs, energy costs, and an exchange rate that all deviated from the levels that would have obtained in a market-driven economy.