China to step up solar energy research, development

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has launched an initiative to boost the development of solar energy technology, in a bid to turn it into a major energy source in China by 2050.

A CAS official said that the academy had organized academicians and experts to make an action plan and will set up a platform to support scientific innovations involving solar energy.
The plan will be carried out in three phases, including “distributed utilization” by 2015, “alternative utilization” by 2025 and “large-scale utilization” by 2035, respectively.

This action plan aims to form value chain on technological innovation including basic studies, application studies and market research.

CAS experts said that China has a big potential for solar energy development. The duration of sunshine for two-thirds of its territory is more than 2,200 hours a year. It also has vast desertareas, where solar energy could be “harvested”.

Xinhua