China’s latest solar policy aims to boost PV power developments across the BRIC country China has announced policies to boost solar power developments in the BRIC country. The new subsidy policies, scheduled to last 20 years, are the first of their kind for the country, according to reports.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China has issued the subsidy standards for solar power plants, China Daily reports. They are part of a series of incentives introduced by the government this year to scale up solar production in China and boost the BRIC country’s PV industry.

The BRIC country has specified a 0.42 Yuan subsidy for every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by distributed PV power units.

The government has previously subsidised PV units on a project-investment basis. The new standards will cover units that were not included in the previous policy.

The news follows vast developments in China’s PV sector, which companies have said are set to revolutionise the industry. Earlier this month, China PV company Yingli and UK company DEK Solar joined up to establish a solar research centre in the BRIC country.

Brian Lau, director of DEK Solar, said: “We continue to make significant investments in the Chinese PV market because we firmly believe that it is heading towards an upturn in 2014.”

As part of the new policies, the government will also lower the price of the power generated by some PV stations, according to reports. In some solar-rich Western regions, the price will be lowered to 0.9 Yuan or 0.95 Yuan per kWh, from the previous national standard of 1 Yuan per kWh.

The policies apply to PV power stations registered after 1 September this year. Power station registered before this date, which will only start producing PV power after 1 January 2014, are also eligible for the subsidies.