Economic Observer Online
By Yan Kai (嚴凱)
Jan 29, 2013
Translated by Zhu Na
Original article: [Chinese]

China has once again lifted the target for how much installed solar power capacity it will have by the end of 2015.

On Jan 29, Shi Lishan (史立山), Deputy Director of the renewable energy office of the National Energy Administration (NEA), revealed that China now planned to have 35 gigawatts (GW) of installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan.

The previous target was to have 21GW of installed capacity.

“The target of 35 GW has been confirmed, and will soon be announced.” Mr. Shi said.

“The reason for making the adjustment is that the PV industry has been developing very quickly.”

That it has taken less than a year to lift the target from 21 GW to 35 GW indicates the huge level of support that the government is prepared to give to the PV industry, said Shi Dinghuan (石定寰), chairman of China Renewable Energy Society.

The target for the amount  of solar capacity to be installed by 2015 has now been adjusted four times.

Initially, policy makers set the target at 5 GW. It was later increased to 10 GW and in May 2012 was raised again to 15 GW.

On July 7 2012, the NEA issued a document lifting the target to over 21 GW.

Installed solar power capacity at the end of 2010 was less than 1 GW.

Earlier this year, the NEA announced that it aims to add 10 GW of installed solar power capacity this year.

Many domestic PV firms, under pressure from falling overseas demand for solar cells, have complained that the new target is still too conservative .

Previously, a high executive at a domestic PV company told the Economic Observer that the target of 21 GW will be changed, “21 GW is definitely not enough, it may be adjusted to 40 GW.”

Although it was reported that a new target of 40 GW had been tacitly agreed to by national authorities, no official announcement was ever made.