Forecasting the Energy and Economic Benefits of Photovoltaic Technology in China’s Rural Areas

Wenjie Zhang,Fengcheng Huang,Yongheng Zhong,Jianwei Zhou,Yuqiang Zhao

doi:10.3390/su13158408

Wenjie Zhang, Fengcheng Huang + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158408

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Jul 28, 2021
Citations: 18	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Nanjing University of Science and Technology

Abstract

In recent years, with the rapid development of China’s economy, China’s energy demand has also been growing rapidly. Promoting the use of renewable energy in China has become an urgent need. This study evaluates the potential of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation on the roofs of residential buildings in rural areas of mainland China and calculates the area that can used for generating energy, the installed capacity, and the power generation, and conducts a comprehensive analysis of the economic benefits of investing in the construction of distributed PV systems in various provinces. The findings unveiled in this study indicate that China still has more than 6.4 billion m2 of rural construction area available for the installation of PV modules. If this is all used for solar power generation, the annual power generation can reach up to 1.55 times the electricity consumption of urban and rural residents for the whole society. Through a comprehensive evaluation of energy efficiency and economic benefits, the Chinese mainland can be divided into three types of resource areas. The three types of resource areas have their own advantages and disadvantages. According to their own characteristics and advantages, we can reasonably formulate relevant policies to accelerate the development of PV system application in rural areas.

Highlights

Building a resource-conserving society is important after an in-depth study of the history of the political, economic, and social development at home and abroad, in accordance with China’s social and economic development, and it is a scientific plan forChina’s future social development model
The maximum annual solar radiation in all regions of mainland China is 8364 MJ/m2, the minimum is 3324 MJ/m2, and the average is 5749 MJ/m2 ; The total annual solar radiation received by the land surface of the country is about 50 × 1018 kJ, which is equivalent to 2.4 × 104 million tons of standard coal, which provides a good prerequisite for the utilization of solar energy resources in the country [3]
After the government subsidies for PV systems are removed, the total revenue that users can get in 25 years will shrink, the economic income of each province will be reduced by about 20%, and the payback period of investment will be extended by 3–4 years

Summary

Introduction

Building a resource-conserving society is important after an in-depth study of the history of the political, economic, and social development at home and abroad, in accordance with China’s social and economic development, and it is a scientific plan forChina’s future social development model. Building a resource-conserving society is important after an in-depth study of the history of the political, economic, and social development at home and abroad, in accordance with China’s social and economic development, and it is a scientific plan for. Energy revolution is the first step to build a resource-saving society, and the fundamental task of energy revolution is to change the energy structure dominated by fossil fuels into a low-carbon energy system dominated by renewable energy, so as to cope with the threat of climate change, reduce China’s external dependence on energy, and achieve sustainable energy development. Among the many renewable energy sources, solar energy is focused on because of its unique cleanliness, low cost, high efficiency, and abundant reserves [2]. China has a vast territory, abundant solar energy resources, and huge resource potential.

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