China becomes first country to hit 3-GW utility-scale solar milestone

China has officially surpassed 3 GW (3,000 MW) for utility-scale solar power production capacity, making it the first country to achieve this milestone. 

The country’s success has come largely from Chinese homes and businesses using rooftop solar-power production systems as well as solar thermal water heaters, the latter of which reduces electricity usage vis-à-vis the elimination of electric water heaters.

Additionally, the nation has built 40 new solar plants since December 2012, raising the total amount of utility-scale solar plants to an impressive 132 sites.

According to project tracker Wiki-Solar, worldwide utility solar added 3.75 GW to electricity production capacity during the first half of 2013; China contributed more than 1 GW of that amount (26%).

As the chart below shows, the top 5 contribute a good majority of the world’s utility solar power. Beyond that, there’s a major drop in production:

In 2011 China set a rather bold goal of increasing its solar power production to 15 GW by 2015. While it still has a long way to go, the country has made significant strides in recent months, indicating they just might be well on their way to achieving this benchmark.

Story via: cleantechnica.com