is the largest market in the world for both and. China's photovoltaic industry began by making panels for, and transitioned to the manufacture of domestic panels in the lat. Photovoltaic research in China began in 1958 with the development of China's first piece of. Research continued with the development of solar cells for space satellites in 1968. The Institute of Semic. A July 2019 report found that local air pollution ( and sulfur dioxide) has decreased the available solar energy that can be harnessed today by up to 15% compared to the 1960s. As of at least 2024, China has one third of the world's installed solar panel capacity and is the largest domestic market for solar panels. A large part of the solar power capacity installed in Chin.