China built nearly 31 gigawatts (GW) of new solar power capacity from January to June, up 137% from a year earlier, with full-year installations on course to hit a record high, an industry group said on Thursday.
Total solar power capacity now stands at 340 GW, up 25.8% compared to last year, Wang Bohua, the honorary chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, said in a presentation.
Total installations over the year are expected to stand at between 75 GW and 90 GW over 2022, Wang said, breaking last year's record of 54.9 GW.
China's solar power equipment exports also surged over the period, with the total value more than doubling to 25.9 billion yuan ($3.83 billion), despite tariffs and trade sanctions from the United States, India and Europe.
China is aiming to bring total wind and solar capacity to 1,200 GW by the end of the decade, up from 635 GW at the end of last year, and is currently developing large-scale renewable energy bases in desert regions.
Wang warned that new restrictions on land use could pose a threat to future capacity growth, with China currently drawing up new rules to restrict the ability of solar developers to build on arable land or on coastlines and riverbanks.
($1 = 6.7636 yuan)
