- China is looking to enact a pilot policy to increase rooftop solar adoption.
- The NEA will try out the programme in selected counties.
- It is hoped that the programme would lead to increased rooftop PV adoption.
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has asked provincial offices to nominate counties to participate in a trial program to increase the adoption of rooftop solar. The NEA wants selected counties to have at least 20 per cent of all residential rooftops, 30 per cent of commercial and industrial structures, 40 per cent of non-government public buildings, and half of the roofs on the government estate equipped with rooftop solar. In addition, the NEA will select installers to deploy all of the rooftop capacity in each county two days after enacting the policy.
China had previously proposed a programme to help increase rooftop solar adoption. With no net-metering in China, an earlier document attempted to regulate the sector via sale agreements between solar producers and nearby energy consumers in return for paying just a grid-use fee to their utility. The power generated would be injected into the grid while the customer would pay the amount signed to the generator at a cheaper rate than the grid electricity. This attempt was, however, thwarted as electric companies were unwilling to participate.
The CPIA has stated that this new NEA policy will regulate rooftop PV power trade under these same terms proposed three years ago. It is expected that if passed, the policy could usher in a wave of news rooftop solar deployments in China.