Zentrum für Ostasienwissenschaften Historical Evolution, Uncertainties, and Overlooked Dimensions of China's Role in the Global Photovoltaic Sector

China's pivotal role in the evolution of the global photovoltaic (PV) industry traces its ascent from a nascent exporter to an undisputed leader. 

Beginning in the early 2000s, China positioned itself as an export-oriented manufacturer, leveraging local government investments to build production capacity primarily for international markets. 
The 2010s marked a surge in dominance, fueled by substantial government subsidies that enabled China to capture over 50% of global module production by the decade's end, surpassing competitors through economies of scale and innovation in manufacturing processes. 
By 2021, China's share had risen to approximately 70%, and its investments exceeded USD 50 billion in new PV supply chains, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and outpacing Europe by a factor of ten.This trajectory culminated in current predominance, with China controlling over 80% of the global PV supply chain, including raw materials, wafers, cells, and modules. Data limitations, including proprietary data and incomplete supply chain disclosures, hinder accurate life cycle assessments (LCAs), leading to wide variability in carbon footprint estimates and underrepresentation of emissions from coaldependent processes. The intervention underscores the need for enhanced transparency, standardization, and reproducibility to address these gaps, particularly given China's coal-intensive electricity grids and unaccounted factors like chemical consumption and land use effects.