China is investing heavily in solar energy and looks as though it will lead the world, again, in a technical area. In recent weeks, the largest solar module manufacturer in the world signed 2 GW (2000 MW) of projects in China. Those 2 GW represent merely the contracts of a single company.
Last year — and likely this year — the total US market is 350 MW (0.35 GW). Which is about a sixth.
China is also pumping a lot of money into R&D in order to make the next generation of renewable energy products. China is telling its banks to support PV companies with strong loans, both for domestic and foreign use.
Clean Technica suggests the demand for solar exists not just in China but in most places in the world.
What China has is the political will and streamlined policies that can strengthen the economy, create jobs, save the environment and, in the long term, decrease the cost of living. If that sounds too visionary, know that it has been edited down several times from the original hyperbole. Note that in the illustration solar power is not confined to major, big item projects. On a series of houses which, perhaps, have seen better days, there is a row of seven solar heaters to produce hot water. This is commonplace.
In the original, China was set to save the world with solar energy. That is how serious China is about this alternative and clean energy source.
All we need now is a campaign from a pressure group suggesting that solar power panels are sucking the heat from the earth and should be banned.
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