The economically exploitable hydropower potential in China is
estimated to be 402 GW. To date, 280 GW have been installed
with an average annual expansion rate of around 20 GW. Given
the anticipated energy consumption of the country new renewable
energy technologies such as wind and solar PV in the power
sector and solar water heating play (and will play) an increasingly
important role. Between 2004 and 2014 90 GW of wind and
20 GW of solar PV were installed. While the solar photovoltaic
industry is generally privately owned, public and private entities,
including the five biggest utilities in China, are actively involved in
the development of utility-scale solar PV power plants. Similarly,
large-scale wind farms are primarily developed by public entities.