Why is China moving from centralized solar farms to small Solar projects?

In recent years, China has shifted its focus from centralized solar farms to smaller-scale distributed solar projects, as photovoltaic research continues to improve the technology and lower its costs.

Does distributed solar work in rural China?

Research is showing the impacts of distributed solar projects in rural China. Huiming Zhang, a renewable-energy economist at the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology says that overall, SEPAP has been successful.

Is Shandong leading China's rooftop solar-development initiatives?

Shandong is leading China’s rooftop solar-development initiatives, accounting for 18% of such projects across the country. As of March, the province had installed 33 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar capacity, enough to power an estimated 18 million homes.

Is China's Solar Plan working?

The plan seems to be working. Last year, China installed a record-breaking 87.4 GW of solar capacity, 59% more than in the previous year, according to China’s National Energy Administration. This takes the country’s total installed photovoltaic capacity to 392.6 GW.

Can photovoltaics help alleviate rural poverty?

Research is central to the success of major photovoltaic programmes in ramping up clean energy and alleviating rural poverty. A house in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province, where rooftops are being used to generate solar power. Credit: Lingqi Xie/Getty

Is China developing a rooftop solar system?

Fishman, an energy analyst at the Lantau Group, an economic consultancy firm in Shanghai, was keen to meet with developers in Shandong to understand how China is developing extensive rooftop solar installations at such a remarkable pace.