In terms of solar thermal utilization, solar water heaters are currently the most widely used in China, mainly used to provide hot water for daily bathing and play an important role in improving the quality of life of residents in small and medium-sized cities. The total operating area of solar water heaters in China has grown rapidly, with usage and annual output exceeding half of the world's total.

            China's solar water heaters have basically achieved commercialization, forming an industrial system of raw material processing, product development and manufacturing, engineering design, and marketing services. At the same time, it has driven the development of related industries such as glass, metal, insulation materials, and vacuum equipment, becoming a rapidly expanding emerging industry with over a thousand enterprises with a certain production scale.

            China's independently innovated vacuum tube heat pipe technology is at the forefront of the world, and vacuum tube water heaters have been widely used. With their excellent performance, they have been exported to dozens of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and other regions.
  
         With the continuous improvement of the level of technology combined with architecture, China has completed a number of projects combining solar water heaters with buildings. The concept of synchronous design, construction, and acceptance of solar water heaters with real estate projects has gradually been accepted by the construction industry.

            China has launched activities to build a new socialist countryside, greatly promoting the application of solar water heaters in rural areas. More and more new rural renovation projects are using solar water heaters, and some areas such as Beijing are also using solar water heaters to provide heating for farmers.

            China is developing and expanding the field of solar thermal utilization, including heating, refrigeration and air conditioning, seawater desalination, industrial heating and power generation, and has begun preliminary research and demonstration system construction work. China has enormous potential for solar energy resources, mature technology for water heater utilization, and economic and market competitiveness. Therefore, solar thermal utilization can play an important role in renewable energy utilization and even in future energy supply.