[ctdonath]

Good question. I do suspect it related to the value of land in proximity to major market, and command economy vs capitalism. Obtaining thousands of contiguous acres averaging 240 Wh per m^2 per day, close enough to demand to efficiently deliver it, may face tough competition with other real estate users. Couple that with actually having to compete, vs favorable eminent domain laws, and compelling interest in pollution reduction, and China & India very well may see larger installations.

Ballpark numbers with my own utility solar point to revenue of ~$50/000 per year per acre (paying 15¢/kWh, 50% above normal power rate). Equipment costs may be about $1,000,000 per acre ($250 per 1m^2 panels etc, 4000 square meter panels per acre). That’s 20 years just to break even on equipment. Now work in land cost (and making it viable) vs market rate per acre.