Solar cells as a main power produce electrical energy. Three ways of power are controlled by a switching device, which works according to their respective voltages.
The authors found that reductions in costs of solar power and storage systems could supply China with 7.2 petawatt-hours of gridcompatible electricity by 2060, meeting 43.2% of the country's projected energy demand at a price lower than 2.5 US cents per kilowatt-hour.
China has already made major commitments to transitioning its energy systems towards renewables, especially power generation from solar, wind and hydro sources. However, there are many unknowns about the future of solar energy in China, including its cost, technical feasibility and grid compatibility in the coming decades.
How to estimate China's solar PV power generation potential?
This study aims to estimate China's solar PV power generation potential by following three main steps: suitable sites selection, theoretical PV power generation and total cost of the system.
What factors influence surface solar radiation in China?
The solar radiation varies widely across China, with the highest levels in Southwest China, especially the Tibetan Plateau, while the lowest radiation is observed over Northeast and Central China. Anthropogenic aerosols and other air pollutants are identified as significant factors influencing surface solar radiation and PV power generation.
Because of its favorable latitude and high annual sunshine hours, China is a prime site for solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. Researchers in China have looked at the sun's potential in various areas, and their findings have shed light on how much energy the sun can produce.
Similarly, some researchers have previously estimated China's solar PV potential. Yu et al. (2023) utilized multi-criteria decision mode and random forest algorithm to calculate China's large-scale and distributed solar PV power generation potentials in prefecture-level cities.