China has become the world’s largest producer of photovoltaic glass. In addition to meeting the domestic market demand, China’s photovoltaic glass exports have also grown rapidly.
According to the statistics of China Photovoltaic Industry Association, in January 2016, China’s photovoltaic glass exports to Japan, the United States, Europe and other international markets, the number of about 129,900 tons, accounting for about one-third of total photovoltaic glass production, 7.74 year-on-year. If PV glass is exported in the form of PV modules, the export volume will far exceed this ratio. At the same time, China’s PV glass imports in January 2016 were only 934 tons. According to statistics, in 2015, 93% of the world’s crystalline silicon battery modules use photovoltaic glass produced in China.
From the installed capacity of PV modules, from 2010 to 2014, the global PV module installed capacity grew at an annual rate of 28.2%, from 17.2GW in 2010 to 46.5GW in 2014. In the same period, the compound annual growth rate for China’s PV modules was 106.9%, from 0.6GW in 2010 to 10.6GW in 2014.
In terms of PV module production, from 2010 to 2014, the global compound annual growth rate of PV module production was 21.1%, from 22.3GW in 2010 to 48.1GW in 2014. In the same period, China’s PV module production increased from 10.8GW in 2010, and in 2014 it was 34.5GW, with a compound annual growth rate of 33.7%.
As mentioned above, as the global installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation and the annual production of photovoltaic modules continue to grow steadily in the coming years, the demand for photovoltaic glass will continue to grow.
With its reliability, safety, versatility and resource adequacy, photovoltaic energy has become one of the world’s most recognized renewable energy sources in the context of accelerating global consumption of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Become the main pillar of the future global power supply. In the decade from 2005 to 2015, the annual compound growth rate of global PV installed capacity was about 42%. According to the prediction of the Joint Research Center of the European and American Commissions, by 2050, photovoltaic power generation will account for 25% of global power generation, to 2100. This ratio may increase to 64%.