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10.7.4 India
While most PV being installed in developing countries is in small stand-alone
systems, India, although also supporting a large market in small-scale systems, has
established a Rural Electrification Supply Technology Mission, aimed at electrifying
the 20,000 or so remote villages across India by 2012 using renewable and hybrid
energy systems (Chaurey, 2004). This program is backed up by the Electricity Act
2003, which includes provision for independent power producers to establish
renewable energy based power systems in remote areas and for state based power
providers to specify renewable energy content (Ibid.). One of the earliest village
systems was a 100 kW p mini-grid PV system in Kalyanpur, at a cost of US$1.5
million (Solar Flare, 1993). It provides electricity for 500 houses, 40 street lights and
15 water pumps (Ibid.). Villagers pay a monthly charge, mainly for lighting.
Government support has also been provided for grid-connected PV plants, as a means
of increasing PV production volume and hence reducing costs. India ranks fifth in the
world for grid-connected PV capacity. A BIPV demonstration program is underway
and several major BIPV projects have been undertaken on large office and
government buildings.
By 2003, India was the fifth largest PV module manufacturer in the world, with 60
major component manufacturers, and significant research, demonstration and market
development programs. In addition to catering for its own growing market, it is
moving rapidly into export markets (Chaurey, 2004).
10.7.5 China
China has a vast unmet demand for electricity (Hirshman, 2003), particularly for
village mini-grid systems in the western provinces (Cabraal, 2004; Li, 2004). Some
800 village systems were installed in China in 2002–03, using 19 MW p of PV
(Honghua et al., 2004). Systems ranged in size up to 150 kW p . In addition, plans are
under way for the installation of 10 MW p of PV in smaller solar home systems by
2005, while PV is also widely used for mobile phone networks, microwave repeater
stations, optical fibre links and train signalling (Ibid.). The China Brightness Project
aims to install over 100 MW p of PV in off-grid applications by 2010 (Yi, 2004).
For grid-connected PV in China, the ‘Renewable Energy Development & Utilisation
Promotion Law’, expected to be implemented in 2005, is likely to mandate renewable
energy contributions to the grid. A number of grid systems are also expected to be
installed for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
To meet the installation targets set, China’s ‘Five Year Plan for New and Recycled
Energy’ has set a module production target of 15 MW p , up from 2 MW p in 2003. The
longer term ‘Development Program for New and Recycled Energy’ has a 320 MW p
target for 2015 (Yi, 2004).
10.7.6 Australia
Australia has had a number of renewable energy support programs since the mid
1980s, often state-based and usually specific to off-grid applications. A federal
government scheme, the ‘Remote Renewable Power Generation Program’, is
expected to continue until 2009. It is administered by the states under various
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