Workers walk by a photovoltaic industrial park in Zibo, East China’s Shandong Province in 2018. File Photo: VCG

Solar photovoltaic (PV) is expected to be a main driver in renewable power generation capacity, and a priority in the transition to renewable energy around the globe, according to a report released by China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute (CREEI) on Monday.

China's newly installed capacity of solar PV in 2019 hit 30.06 gigawatts (GW), ranking first in the world, while the world's newly installed capacity of solar power reached 97.08 GW, up 300 percent from 2011, the CREEI said.

China's overall installed capacity of solar PV in 2019 hit 205.07 GW, another first in the world, while the world's installed solar PV production reached 580.16 GW, up 800 percent since 2011, and contributing 22.87 percent of total renewable capacity (excluding hydropower), said the CREEI. 

Chinese solar companies are continuing to cooperate with countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. According to incomplete statistics, Chinese solar power companies in 2019 developed 54 large scale solar power projects, with a total installed capacity of 12.6 GW, said the report. 

The PV industry could reduce infrastructure investment required by other new industries by providing nearby generated power for electric vehicle charging stations and 5G base stations, according to the report.

Newly installed capacity of solar power in 2020 could be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as global electricity demand is expected to decline five percent from a year earlier, and slowing the installation of new solar PV panels, said the report. 

Global Times