The interest in research and development of solar PV and thermal applications has been growing fast in China due to climate change concerns and environmental protection in addition to energy shortage. A number of research achievements have been put into practice, and a promising solar energy market has been formed. Among them, solar water heaters (SWHs), photovoltaic (PV) cells, PV power generation, and PV/thermal (PV/T) systems have gai. The interest in research and development of solar PV and thermal applications has been growing fast in China due to climate change concerns and environmental protection in addition to energy shortage. A number of research achievements have been put into practice, and a promising solar energy market has been formed. Among them, solar water heaters (SWHs), photovoltaic (PV) cells, PV power generation, and PV/thermal (PV/T) systems have gained the most popularity. This work reviews the solar energy resources, PV technology and applications, development of solar thermal applications, and the research and development of PV/T systems in China. The results show that China's renewable energy applications have grown rapidly in the past 10 years, and that China has become the biggest producer of PV cells and SWHs in the world. In 2011, China's PV products held 42% and the SWH cumulative installations constituted about 2/3 of globe amount. One trend in SWH development in China is the integration of the SWHs with the building structure, and PV/T hot water systems are expected to dominate solar applications in buildings. Problems lying in China's PV industry are pointed out, and suggestions for solving the problems are proposed.••Solar energyPhotovoltaic cellThermalWater heaterCookerPV/TPublic awareness of energy crises in the 1970s stimulated a great deal of interest in research, development, and applications of solar energy in China. The interest has been fast growing in the past decade due to energy shortage and climate change concerns. China has pursued aggressive policies to boost the use of renewable energy. “The Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of China” took effect on January 1, 2006. The law urges local governments to establish policies stipulating development and applications of renewable energy, among which solar energy is an important element. Since then, a number of laws and regulations have been promulgated, such as “Energy Conservation Law”, “Medium and Long-term Development Plan of Renewable Energy” and “Civil Buildings Energy Saving Ordinance”,.To effectively implement the Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of China, several nationwide and many provincial level and municipal level renewable energy development funds, financial subsides, and incentives in interest rate and tax reduction have been established, of which some are specific for solar energy developments and applications. In 2006, Chinese Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development jointly issued “Measures on the Administration of Specific funds for Renewable Energy Developments” and “Provisional Measures on the Admi. 2.1. Solar energy resourcesChina has abundant solar energy resources. It is estimated that the dry land surfaces of China receive solar energy about 50×1012 GJ/yr. The solar radiation in China ranges from 3.35 to 8.37 GJ/ m2 yr and can be divided into five zones as listed in Table 1. The main characteristics of the regional distribution of solar energy resources are as the following:•(1)More than two-thirds of China receives an annual total solar radiation exceeding 5 GJ/m2 with more than 2200 h of sunshine a year.•(2)The area with the maximum total solar radiation is in Qingzang Plateau, and that with the minimum total solar radiation is in Sichuan Basin, both in the northern latitudes of 22°–35°.•(3)The west part of China has higher total solar radiation than the east part, and except Tibet and Xinjiang the southern area generally has less total solar radiation than the northern area.•(4)The geographical distribution of solar resources does not coincide with the national power load profile. In the desert and plateau areas, the solar resources are abundant, but the power demand is relatively smaller. On the contrary, the coastal regions with heavy power loads have insufficient solar resources. This presents a significant challenge to solar energy applications in China, especially to solar PV power development, because the areas with abundant solar resources are far away from where the power load centers ar. 3.1. Typical types of PV systems in ChinaThere are two typical types of PV power generation systems in China: stand-alone system and grid-connected system,.A grid-connected PV system consists of a PV array, an inverter, and a controller (Fig. 2). It converts solar energy directly into electric power, and supplies the electricity to a grid through an inverter. Grid-connected PV systems are generally used in very large scale PV power generation or in combination with buildings.Fig. 2. Grid-connected PV power systems.A stand-alone PV system consists of a PV array, an inverter, and a controller, and it usually has a storage battery (Fig. 3). Without a storage battery, the stand-alone PV system generates electricity and uses it directly, and thus it does not have ability to supply electricity without sunlight. Most stand-alone PV systems in China have battery. Nowadays, these PV systems are commonly used in small household PV units, PV power stations, lighting systems, and communication bases, with a demand of at least 3–4 MWp every year in remote, non-electrified regions in China, and PV lighting systems are already widespread in China.3.2. Status of PV industry in ChinaChina's.
