China is going to increase its solar capacity 10-fold in the next five years. Driving this solar great leap forward will be the "feed-in tariff" — Chinese citizens who install solar panels will be paid 15 cents for every kilowatt-hour they produce. Germany uses the same strategy, and as a result it has more solar power than any other country in the world.

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.

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It's not clear what portion of that astronomical growth will be yak-related, but good luck to them.

 

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