Why is the PV innovation system complete in China?

With the rapid rise of the Chinese PV manufacturing sector, it is the domestic market for PV that is the missing link which makes the PV innovation system complete. The small size of the domestic market is mainly due to the weak lobby network around PV, which is believed to be a common institutional problem in China.

How has China's PV power technology changed over time?

Zhao et al. showed that China's PV power technology has improved dramatically, with technological advances in the efficiency, reliability, and reduced pollution of PV cells and PV power generation systems, leading to a rapid increase in both PV production capacity and the value of exports .

Why did Jifan Gao start Trina Solar 4?

Triggered by the potentially huge foreign market, Chinese entrepreneur Jifan Gao believed that renewable energy would in the long run substitute fossil energy, in order to meet the energy needs and emission reduction goals . With this in mind, he set up Trina Solar 4 in 1999 [C-F1].

Do Chinese PV manufacturers have a lower R&D intensity?

Zheng & Kammen and Grau et al. both reported that Chinese PV manufacturers tend to have lower R&D intensity than the PV manufacturers in other major countries. Current investment in Chinese PV is mainly focused on manufacturing and application rather than on R&D.

Does the European PV market drive the growth of Chinese PV cell production?

There was a very strong correlation between the growth rate of European PV installed capacity and the Chinese PV cell production output (see Fig. 6 ), which clearly indicates that the expanding European PV market was the main driver for the growth of the Chinese PV manufacturing sector.

What is the largest PV project in China aided by a foreign country?

For example, the China-Germany Western PV Village Program was the largest project on PV in China aided by a foreign country thus far. In this project, Germany planned to provide non-reimbursable assistance of about 34 million USD [G-F6], and this assistance involved PV systems and capital , .