How did China's solar subsidy phase-out affect energy consumption?

The announcement of subsidy phase-out led to a larger energy “rebound effect”. They adjusted electricity usage patterns to maximize revenue from solar electricity. With the impending post-subsidy era, the Chinese government has initiated significant reductions in household photovoltaic (PV) subsidies.

When will China stop subsidizing solar projects?

Effective August 1, 2021, China will stop subsidizing new solar farm projects, distributed solar projects for commercial users, and onshore wind farms. For years, China had been generous towards wind and solar projects.

Does China have a PV generation subsidy phase-out policy?

To test our argument, we use the case of the PV generation subsidy phase-out policy in China. China is the world's largest PV market, and the household PV industry has heavily relied on subsidy-based business models (Xiong and Yang, 2016).

Will the end of subsidies slow down photovoltaic projects in China?

The end of subsidies caused fears of a sudden slowdown in the roll-out of photovoltaic projects in the world’s largest polluter. China accounted for 29 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions last year, according to the International Energy Agency, with its emissions having risen 2.5 per cent year-on-year.

What happened to PV subsidies in China?

The most significant reduction in household PV subsidies occurred in December 2017. The Chinese government announced a subsidy reduction of 0.05 RMB/kWh for household PV generation after January 2018. This means that households that installed and used PVs after 2018 had to accept lower PV generation subsidies of 0.37 RMB/kWh.

Why did China cut solar subsidies?

The motivation behind the cut was that China wanted to ensure the local solar industry was economically sustainable over the long term. However, more recently, China’s finance ministry committed to granting 57 percent more subsidies to solar power projects this year, but cut subsidies for wind power.