China plugs in 34.2 GW of PV in 2016

China’s grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) capacity has reached 77.42 GW at the end of 2016, after it put on stream some 34.24 GW last year alone, official data by the country’s National Energy Administration (NEA) shows.

The record-breaking annual additions translate into a 81.6% increase over 2015. In comparison, the installed wind power capacity in China grew by just 13.2% year-on-year to 148.64 GW at end-2016, according to NEA’s statement.

As for the county’s hydropower plants (HPP), their total installed capacity rose by 3.9% year-on-year to 332.11 GW at the end of last year.

Over the past year, the country’s total power consumption grew by 5% on the year to 5,919.8 TWh. Urban and rural residents used 805.4 TWh of that, up 10.8% on the year.

China’s newest official 2015-2020 energy plan envisages having at least 110 GW and 210 GW of solar and wind power in operation by the end of the decade, respectively.

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