By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) Apr 3 -- China’s photovoltaic (PV) sector posted robust growth in the first two months of 2023 with major products of the industrial chain logging year-on-year growth rates of around 60 percent, official data showed, reported Xinhua News on April 2.

The country produced about 176,000 tonnes of polysilicon, a key raw material in the solar photovoltaic supply chain, during the period, up more than 60 percent from a year earlier, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The output of polysilicon wafers expanded 78 percent over the previous year, the data showed.

In January and February, the output of crystalline silicon PV cells in China rose 57.5 percent to reach 62.2 gigawatts, while that of modules hiked 62.2 percent, according to the ministry, said Xinhua.

PV technologies, more commonly known as solar panels, generate power using devices that absorb energy from sunlight and convert it into electrical energy through semiconducting materials. China has been the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels since 2008 and, since 2011, has produced the majority of global photovoltaics, according to media reports.