China has announced its first nationwide feed-in tariff for solar projects in a step that underscores the determination of the world’s biggest energy user to move toward renewable energy.

　　中國宣布了首個全國統一的太陽能光伏發電上網電價，此舉突顯出中國作為全球第一大能源消耗國發展可再生能源的決心。

　　Beijing has made renewable energy a keystone of its energy policy and aims to raise solar power capacity tenfold in the next five years. The long-awaited feed-in tariff guarantees solar developers a payment of Rmb1 per kilowatt-hour that their projects feed into the grid, or Rmb1.15 per kh in some cases depending on the timing and location of the project.

　　中國政府已經將發展可再生能源定為其能源政策重點，計劃在未來5年內將太陽能發電裝機容量增至目前的10倍。人們期待已久的太陽能光復發電上網電價，確保了太陽能發電廠商賣給電網的電價為每千瓦時1元人民幣。根據項目的核準投產時間和地點不同，在部分情況下為每千瓦時1.15元。

　　At a time of slowing global demand as big markets such as Germany and Italy reduce subsidies for solar panels, Beijing’s increasing support will see the country – already the world’s largest maker of solar panels – become one of the world’s biggest buyers of solar panels in coming years, according to analysts and industry executives.

　　分析師與行業高管們表示，目前德國和意大利等主要市場減少了對太陽能面板行業的補貼，太陽能面板的全球需求因此逐漸下降，而中國政府加大扶持力度，預示著在未來幾年中國將成為全球最大的太陽能面板購買者之一——中國目前已經是全球最大的太陽能面板生產國。

　　“We strongly believe that China will quickly evolve into one of the largest and most important solar markets in the world,” said Liao Mingsheng, chief executive of Yingli, one of China’s largest vertically integrated solar panel manufacturers.

　　英利首席執行官苗連生表示：“我們堅信，中國將迅速發展成全球最大、最重要的太陽能市場之一。”英利是中國最大的垂直一體化太陽能面板生產商之一。

　　At the headquarters of Yingli in Baoding, outside Beijing, developers are busy designing products to suit the Chinese market – including solar tents for the Chinese military, and solar panels that fit on yaks’ backs for Tibetan herders. Last year the Chinese market accounted for just five per cent of the company’s sales, but that figure could double by next year, according to company statements.

　　在英利位于河北保定的總部，開發人員正緊張地設計著適合中國市場的產品，包括供應給中國軍方的太陽能帳篷，以及面向西藏牧人、適合牦牛馱負的太陽能面板。去年，中國市場還僅占英利銷售總額的5%，但根據該公司發布的聲明，到明年這一數字可能會翻番。

　　While analysts disagree on how profitable Chinese solar projects will be under the new tariff, the announcement is widely seen as an affirmation of Beijing’s intent to support the solar industry. A similar tariff has been in place for wind projects since 2009, propelling China to become the world’s biggest wind farm operator. Industry executives said that many Chinese solar developers had already been setting up projects this year in anticipation of a good tariff coming through.

　　盡管對于施行新電價后中國太陽能項目的盈利情況，分析人士存在分歧，但人們普遍認為此次電價頒布證實了中國政府扶持太陽能行業的決心。自2009年以來，中國政府已針對風電項目出臺了類似的電價措施，推動中國成為全球第一大風電國家。業內高管表示，中國許多太陽能發電廠商預見到政府即將出臺有利的電價，今年已紛紛推出發電項目。

　　“The demand [in China] has kicked up significantly in the course of this year,” said Andrew Beebe, chief commercial officer for Suntech, one of the world’s largest solar manufacturers. “It’s been a small portion of our business historically but it is definitely gaining.”

　　尚德(Suntech)首席商務官安德魯?畢博(Andrew Beebe)表示：“今年以來，（中國的）需求有了大幅提升。來自中國的需求在我們的業務中向來只占很小一部分比例，但比重無疑在不斷提升。”尚德是全球最大太陽能設備生產商之一。

　　Others suggest Beijing is seeking to counterbalance the global fall in demand for solar panels to help ease the pain of Chinese solar manufacturers, who account for more than half of solar cell production globally.

　　還有人指出，中國政府正試圖抵消國際上對太陽能面板需求下降的影響，以幫助減輕中國太陽能設備生產商的痛苦。中國廠商占到全球太陽能電池產量的一半以上。

　　The new tariff will apply only to solar projects that are not awarded through a competitive bidding process, as those projects are typically awarded to the developer who can accept the lowest feed-in price.

　　新電價將僅適用于并非通過競標獲得的太陽能項目，因為通過競標贏得合同的通常是那些可以接受最低入網價格的廠商。