China Installed 48.2 GW Solar PV Capacity In 2020

• The NEA says in 2020 China added 48.2 GW of new solar PV capacity to its power generation sources
• After wind that added 71.67 GW, solar PV bagged 2^nd position out of total 190.87 GW total power generation capacity installed in 2020
• Largest capacity addition during the entire year for solar PV was Q4/2020 when 29.5 GW is expected to have been added, since during 9M/2020, China had installed 18.7 GW

The National Energy Administration (NEA) of China has officially announced the country's solar PV capacity installation for the year 2020 at a surprisingly high level of 48.2 GW. This contributes to a total of 190.87 GW newly installed power generation capacity for the entire year.

This is an impressive growth over 30.11 GW it deployed during the year 2019 which took the country's cumulative capacity to 204 GW (see NEA: 30.11 GW New Solar Installed In China In 2019). With the addition of 48.2 GW, the cumulative PV capacity of China at the end of 2020 should have reached 252.2 GW.

The NEA hasn't shared how much utility scale and how much distributed solar this 48.2 GW entails and the information should follow later. During 9M/2020 it had announced 18.7 GW of installations for solar (see China Installed 18.7 GW New Solar PV During 9M/2020). Now, this would mean what China couldn't accomplish in the beginning of COVID-19 impacted year, it managed at the tail end with an impressive 29.5 GW added during Q4/2020.

Solar PV reported the 2^nd largest capacity addition among all power generation sources in 2020 with wind power adding a gigantic 71.67 GW alone and hydropower bringing in 13.23 GW.

Solar and wind are likely to continue to lead the country's drive towards green recovery as China goes hammer and tongs to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 (see China Declares Carbon Neutrality Goal By 2060).