CHINA is expected to add 75 to 90 gigawatts (GW) of solar power in 2022, its solar manufacturing association said yesterday, far higher than a record increase in capacity last year.

The world’s biggest solar products maker and solar power generator brought 54.88 GW of new solar power into operation in 2021, taking the total installed capacity to 306 GW despite a supply disruption of raw materials.

China could add an average of 83 to 99 GW of new capacity each year during 2022 to 2025, said Wang Bohua, honorary chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA).

“Distributed solar power accounted for over 50 percent of total newly installed solar capacity for the first time in 2021. Looking ahead, we will see distributed solar power and centralised solar farms grow at the same pace,” said Wang.

China has a strong pipeline of solar projects as State-owned power firms have been capitalizing on the government’s plans for massive installations in the country’s deserts.

There’s also strong growth in the rooftop market as factories look to replace some of their grid consumption with self-generated clean energy.

Wang also warned that Chinese companies have to defend their dominant place in the global solar market amid increasing competition from panel-makers in the United States, European Union and India.

“We should accelerate innovation,” he said. “So that our Chinese solar industry could stand unbeatable.”

Chinese companies will likely boost polysilicon output to more than 700,000 tons this year, according to the CPIA. That would be up from 505,000 last year, when a shortage of the material caused price spikes throughout the solar supply chain.

Polysilicon prices have been rising again after easing toward the end of last year, leading to more expensive solar modules.

Prices will likely stay high in the short term amid strong demand, according to a note by the Silicon Industry of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association. (SD-Agencies)