The spatiotemporal patterns of national-subsidized PV power projects in China: Evolution and influencing factors

This study constructs a comprehensive spatiotemporal dataset of 22,641 national-subsidized photovoltaic (PV) power projects in China (2012–2020), providing a detailed administrative-record-based perspective that complements remote sensing mapping, particularly for small-scale distributed systems using medium-resolution imagery. By classifying PV projects into six refined types (ground-mounted, C&I rooftop, residential rooftop, agrivoltaic, aquavoltaic, and poverty-alleviation), the research analyzes their spatiotemporal patterns—characterized by "extensive diffusion, axial extension, and multi-core agglomeration"—and influencing factors across resource endowments, construction feasibility, and grid-integration capacity dimensions. The findings reveal a phased transition from initial resource-driven expansion to later consumption-led optimization, highlighting the critical role of policy evolution and market mechanisms in shaping China's PV deployment. This study provides empirical foundations for PV deployment optimization and sustainable development strategies in the post-subsidy era. • Presents China's first comprehensive national-subsidized PV project dataset • Develops a novel six-type classification framework for China's subsidy-driven PV deployment. • Reveals an "inverted-L" axis for ground-mounted PV and multi-core agglomeration for other systems. • Identifies a phased transition from resource-driven to market-driven deployment.