?? Why is China’s solar booming?

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Last year, China added more than 51 gigawatts of small-scale (“distributed”) solar power. This is more than the total clean energy additions (of small-scale and utility solar and wind) from the US, Germany, and the UK combined. On top of that, China also added another 100 gigawatts of utility solar and wind capacity. 

Two years ago, I argued that the boom in solar PV in South Australia was a sign of things to come: 

Australian citizens [launched] their own renewable energy revolution. Thanks to the sheer number of individuals who have installed rooftop solar panels on their homes. 

The widespread adoption of rooftop solar can be attributed to its unique and highly advantageous characteristics. For one, it is modular, miniaturized, and easily incorporated into existing infrastructure. This results in an expanded market and a rapid acceleration in deployment rates. The inherent modularity of such technologies, reminiscent of Lego blocks, fuels exponential growth. With small, scalable units, production volumes quickly skyrocket, propelling manufacturers further along the learning curve and subsequently driving down prices. Moreover, the modular nature of rooftop solar allows for easy deployment and combination in various configurations.

Decentralised rooftop solar’s comrade-in-arms is electric vehicle battery storage. This is another modular, bottoms-up technology that can help tackle the massive top-down problem of decarbonising electricity.

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