Rooftop solar to roll out on China’s public buildings

(China Dialogue, 16 Sep 2021) The latest county-level trials could boost rooftop solar power generation over the next five years but new business models are needed to make them successful.

On Tiananmen Square, China’s very heart, an 850 square metre solar installation is in operation. The panels sit on the roof of the Great Hall of the People, generating 98,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year to run the building below. This is not a common arrangement. Nationally, next-to-no government or public buildings have rooftop solar installations.

In late June, the National Energy Administration (NEA) published a notice on county-level trials of distributed solar power generation, designed to boost rooftop solar. This may prompt a new spurt in solar installations, on both public and private buildings, over the next five years. Statistics collected by industry media outlet BJX indicate 75 county-level governments have picked firms to install distributed solar and are set to start trials.

The NEA notice encourages counties to sign up if they have appropriate rooftops, good grid access and the technical and financial capacity to roll out the programme. Electricity grid companies are expected to provide connections where possible, making upgrades if necessary, to ensure distributed solar power can be connected to the wider network.

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China Dialogue, 16 Sep 2021: Rooftop solar to roll out on China’s public buildings

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