China's rooftops and buildings equipped with solar panels are equal to the current global capacity of the entire industry, according to a new analysis.
Leading manufacturer Longyi Green Energy Technology has calculated that commercial, public and residential buildings theoretically have enough space to accommodate 1,000 gigawatts of solar power.
By 2022, this will equal the total capacity of all photovoltaic cells in use worldwide, and will be enough to power nearly 750 million homes, more than all the homes in China and Southeast Asia combined.
China has ramped up its renewable energy production in recent years, adding 51 GW of solar capacity by 2022. This exceeds the goal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural Development of an additional 50 GW between 2021 and 2025.
The plan shows how solar power can be increased with panels installed in factories, homes and office buildings.
The industry continues to face significant challenges in meeting its broader climate goals. Energy storage solutions, costs and grid constraints, especially in rural areas, are among the barriers to full adoption of the technology.
The rural solar energy project has been recognized as one of the government's top priorities to stimulate economic development and accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources.
“Rural revitalization is not only about rapid economic development, but also about green and low-carbon development to fulfill the hopes of rural people for a better life,” Zhong Baosheng, president of Longyi Green Energy Technology, told Bloomberg .
Longyi Green Energy Technology was one of several Chinese companies whose products were confiscated by US Customs and Border Protection last year under the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA), which aims to prevent imports of goods made using forced labor.
At an energy conference on Monday, a White House spokesman said the impasse over solar panel imports had finally been resolved.
“There are clearer signs and we are seeing an increase in supply,” John Podesta, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, told reporters at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.
This development could prove critical to achieving its own clean energy goal of reducing the total carbon pollution from power plants that power American homes and businesses by 2035.
