To develop solar energy as a primary source of electricity supply in China, it is imperative to also develop an overall and complete solar energy potential analysis. Such an analysis technique would be a substantial contribution to solar power generation development both nationally and regionally. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution of solar energy in China and estimates the solar energy potential from three aspects: geography, technology, and economy. The results of this research showed that the solar energy resource in China is substantially rich and stable, but also has notable spatial heterogeneity. A potential estimation indicated that Xinjiang Province was the most optimal site for large-scale photovoltaic station construction, displaying the highest values for all three potentials. It was also found that solar energy potential in western China is greater, while the eastern region is less suitable for solar photovoltaic development. These results can provide support for the large-scale development and utilization of solar energy resources in the future.

Introduction

In the light of ensuring a sustainable future and addressing the increasingly serious impacts of climate change, especially global warming, developing countries are urgently seeking to switch from traditional energy to renewable energy [1–۵]. Solar energy is abundant, free, and non-polluting; hence, it is considered one of the most competitive choices of all the renewable energy choices [4,6]. The global solar PV market has rapidly grown by 50% over the past decade [7]. The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects that the share of global electricity from photovoltaic (PV) systems will reach 16% by 2050 (IEA, 2010). In particular, China is playing an increasingly immense role in the PV electricity supply. Due to the guidance of the 13th Five-Year Plan in China, more than 110 million kilowatts of solar power is planned to be installed by 2020 [9]. It has also been estimated that nearly 40% of the global installed PV capacity will be held by China by ۲۰۲۳ [۱۰]. According to the CHINESE RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT REPORT (2018) [11], solar energy and wind power remain the two primary pillars of electricity generation in China. A critical step in the process of utilizing this tremendous solar energy resource is to identify and prioritize optimal sites for PV power stations [۱۲,۱۳]. Furthermore, to find suitable places for solar energy exploitation, it is imperative to first estimate the actual solar energy potential on the ground [3]. The estimation of solar energy potential depends on multi-dimensional indicators. These include but are not limited to local solar energy resources, land cover, technological development, the economics of solar products, and the governmental policies. All of these factors exert significant impacts on the development of the solar energy market [14].