SolarFromChina - China Solar Industry

Beijing China 2008 Olympics Solar

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China will be using solar energy to heat the shower water in the Olympic village. This state of the art solar power energy system will provide hot showers for over 10,000 athletes, showing that alternative energy can be a powerful force when harnessed properly.

This solar system, which is to be installed later next year, was donated by the Italian government to the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The Beijing Olympics organizers have committed themselves to making the 2008 games to be environmentally friendly in a multitude of ways. This seems to be a new trend that is emerging in the worldwide sports community. The World Cup proved that alternative energy can go a long way to help reduce our impact on the environment.

Chinese firm intervenes in Nigeria's power crisis

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

A Chinese firm, Sky Resources Solar Technology Company, has offered an intervention in solar energy production in Nigeria, as a mean of tackling power crisis in the country.
Speaking with Businessday in Abuja, the international director of the company, Xie Yunghsen said over $200,000 has been invested while over one million dollars would also be injected into the country’s energy sector before the end of the year.

Yunghsen said the goal of the company was in line with the dream of President Musa Yar’Adua to alleviate the power problem in the country, especially rural electrification.

The director, who pointed out that one source or type of energy generation method was not enough to meet the yearnings of the teeming population of Nigeria, said the company had come at the right time to complement the efforts of government in this regard

While noting that " Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources where alternative energy could be generated", Yunghsen wondered why the country should be suffering in the dark by depending solely on one source of energy.

"Nigeria with her abundant gift of sunshine cannot afford to waste wonderful opportunity to generate sufficient, affordable and efficient energy through solar technology," he stressed.

Okechukwu Ezeobina, executive director of the company in Nigeria said the company’s products which include grid-connected inverter, convert the DC power (from solar energy converted by PV modules) to the VAC/220, 50HZ/60HZ sine wave power that will supply power to the local household applications.

According to him the company has signed a pact with some banks, among which are Zenith bank, Intercontinental plc, and Diamond Bank, while discussions are on-going with Bank PHB, Oceanic bank among others to facilitate the projects in Nigeria.

He said the project is taking off soon would some states which include Anambra, Delta, Enugu whose governors are embarking on rural electrification projects

Ezeobi said plans had been concluded to domesticate the technology as some selected technicians from seven states where the projects are to take off soon would be given free training in China on manufacturing and installation.

He was optimistic that the issue of power crisis in the country would soon become a thing of the past when most of the rural communities are connected to solar grid for power supply

Forum on solar energy applications kicks off in China

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

The three-day First West China Solar Photovoltaic Industry and New Energy Development Forum started Friday morning in Shuangliu, a county under the administration of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

The forum, which has drawn more than 300 government officials, domestic and overseas experts in the solar photovoltaic and new energy sectors and investors, will discuss the development trends of China's solar photovoltaic and new energy sectors, said Shi Dinghuan, chairman of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.

With the mounting pressure on energy supply and increasing pollution on the environment, the world is paying more attention to the solar energy as a clean energy source.

As a result, the solar photovoltaic industry has become one of the fastest growing energy sectors in the world, and China has plans to become the world's largest market in terms of using solar energy.

Seventeen investment projects were signed at the forum, valued at 14.5 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) Friday, between the Shuangliu county government and three companies from Sichuan. The projects are in the fields of solar photovoltaic, new energy, machinery, electronics and aviation service.

Shuangliu has attached great importance to development of the solar photovoltaic industry since 2004, and has ranked among the country’s top 100 strongest counties in terms of economic development for seven consecutive years.

Yunnan Shilin to Create China's Biggest Solar Power Station

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

PowerRating -- Shilin, a developing city in Yunnan Province in Southwest China, will build up the country's biggest solar energy photovoltaic power station with total investment of CNY 3.7 billion.

Yunnan Power Investment New Energy Development Co., Ltd. is the main investor of this project, which is located in Shilin Town, Shilin County and covers a plot of land as large as 173.33 hectares.

The solar power station will have installed capacity of 66 megawatts and will interconnect with the local power grids to supply electricity to users in Yunnan. As a key project on the list of Yunnan Province's 2008 planning, the station is scheduled to kick off construction from October 2008 and complete within 2009.

Photovoltaic power generation is a good utility of solar energy, which is widely believed as a clean energy and is encouraged by the central government of China. Notably, Yunnan is one of the best places in China that is suitable for solar energy development because of its high altitude and strong sunshine.

Canadian Solar To Light Up 2008 China Olympics

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

Canadian Solar says it has completed the delivery of 66 KW of BIPV modules for the lamp posts along the Olympic Boulevard from the "Bird's Nest", the main stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games, to the Olympic Square. This BIPV project sits right on the axis of Beijing, symbolizing the nation's increasing commitment to sustainable development. Over its 25-year operating lifespan, this solar power system, with modules horizontally placed for aesthetic purpose, will still generate more than 1,925,000 Kilowatt hours and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 2750 tons.

Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar Inc. commented: "We are very pleased to have won this prestigious contract and be a part of the 2008 Olympics. BIPV directly applies solar technology to architecture, which is a fast growing area of solar applications. Given CSI's years of experience in specialty solar modules and customized solar system design, we are ready to bring our expertise to many other future BIPV projects. China is on its way towards becoming a major solar market, and this contract will help us improve our already strong foothold in the market."

China instituted its "Renewable Energy Law" in 2006, making it mandatory for the State Electric Grid to connect to solar power and pay favorable feed- in tariffs. The execution procedure for this law, however, has yet to be released. Additionally, in August 2007, China's National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) published its national development strategy for renewable energy. According to this strategy, China targets to install 300 MW cumulative solar generation capacity by 2010 and 1.8 GW by 2020.

China's booming PV market: Filled with smoke and fire

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

With ten highly prominent initial public offerings (IPOs) racked up already, China's solar energy industry is poised to make a major impact on worldwide polysilicon capacity and solar cell production. However, determining who will succeed among the new firms in the domestic and international market remains highly uncertain as it is likely that at least some publicly announced plans will not materialize into actual projects.

In the last two years, China’s ten IPOs have raised nearly US$2 billion to meet the world’s growing demand for PV-related products and services. The attractiveness of PV to Chinese industrial policy is also understandable due to China’s internal demand for energy, the exciting global economic projections for the solar industry, and the alignment of PV manufacturing needs with China’s current industrial and technology capabilities. Indeed, China’s domestic market for accumulated PV installation is expected to reach 300 MW by 2010, up from only 80 MW accumulated and 10 MW yearly installation in 2006. But the Chinese PV industry is planning to more than meet its domestic needs.

Since 2004, the country’s solar cell production and capacity have reached growth rates from 100%–400% per year, contributing to the global shortage of polysilicon feedstocks. Cell capacity of 4 GW has been announced for this year and, after growing a projected 40% in 2008 so far, China’s solar wafer capacity is also expected to reach 4 GW. However, how much polysilicon will be available and who will be able to obtain it remains extremely uncertain.

Unbalanced polysilicon supply chain

In response to China’s - and global – demand, a swathe of polysilicon production projects have been instigated. Reports of new polysilicon projects in China have appeared regularly in business, technology and trade press over the last year and in 2007, SEMI identified 27 separate polysilicon production projects that had been announced.

Furthermore, the SEMI analysis of the Chinese PV market is currently in progress and these estimates are preliminary. Investment for these projects comes from a variety of sources, especially silicon manufacturers, traditional energy producers and chemical companies. Of these 27 projects, seven projects will rely upon China-based technologies, while six will source technology from Russia, five from the Europe or the US, and four projects will be a partnered combination of Chinese and international technology. These projects will be located throughout China, with the leading regions being the western part of the country, which will see 11 projects, and the Yangtze delta, with four projects.

However, as of December 2007, 20 of these projects had begun construction and of the identified 27 polysilicon projects that have been announced - equating to nearly 30,000 tonnes of polysilicon capacity by the 2008 year-end - SEMI estimates less than 5000 tonnes will actually be produced this year. By 2010, of the 70,000 tonne capacity that has been announced, SEMI projects that only 30,000 tonnes will reach the market. In response to the discrepancy between announced and expected capacity, nearly all Chinese cell and module manufacturers have entered into long-term, expensive, supply contracts, although these contract prices are still much lower than the spot market prices, which were around $400/kg in December 2007.

Nonetheless, the list of new developments in China continues to grow. This month, for example, the DuPont chemicals company announced it will soon begin construction on a PV research centre in Hong Kong and a manufacturing facility in Shenzhen to support ‘the rapidly growing photovoltaic (PV) solar energy industry.’

DuPont expects growth in the photovoltaic market to exceed 30% in each of the next several years and the company has made significant investments in product development and capacity expansions to help keep pace with the demand.

The company says that expansions in Hong Kong and Shenzhen will provide new offerings to serve the amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film market, adding that the growth rate for thin film is projected to be approximately twice as high as demand for c-Si. DuPont expects this increase to drive specifications for both new and existing products that serve the thin film industry.

‘Through investments in materials, technology development and manufacturing, DuPont is accelerating its ability to deliver innovations that will improve the lifetime and efficiency of photovoltaic modules, and also have enough production capability to help keep pace with the fast rising global demand,’ said David B. Miller, group vice president of DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies.

An emerging solar equipment industry

In addition to polysilicon, China will also benefit from localized silicon crystal growth. Xi’an University of Technology, Jingyi and Jingyuntong are all qualified vendors for mono crystal ingot growth equipment. Silicon ingot capacity will reach 20,000 tonnes in monocrystalline and nearly 23,000 tonnes in polycrystalline in 2008. In addition to polysilicon, solar grade wafers and solar cells and modules, China is expected to witness the development of an emerging domestic equipment industry, representing the entire production process including thermal processes, plasma etch, wet bench, PECVD and semi-automated screen printing. Supporting equipment and component vendors are also expected to emerge in China.

Indeed, in April Trina Solar announced that five of its key suppliers have signed investment agreements to establish production facilities in the Changzhou Trina Photovoltaic Industrial Park. The suppliers, which include Guangzhou ChienSong Grind Material Co., Ltd., Hubei Feilihua Quartz Glass Co., Ltd., Ltd., Suzhou Good-Ark Electronics Co., Ltd., and a European manufacturer of PV glass, produce products such as reclaimed slurry, crucibles, junction boxes, and low iron glass used in the production of solar PV modules. These companies are targeting total investments of over US$275 million in Changzhou. ‘We are very excited by the advancement of the Changzhou Trina Photovoltaic Industrial Park and the opportunity to form strong partnerships with each of these key suppliers,’ said Jifan Gao, Trina Solar’s Chairman and CEO.

The five suppliers plan to build production facilities in Changzhou and enter into long-term supply agreements with Trina Solar. Their presence in Changzhou will Trina ensure a steady supply of its key supply chain components, while providing the company with lower material costs, among other logistical advantages.

The business model for many of these new solar energy firms, such as Suntech, Yingli and Jing’ao, follows a vertically integrated path. Some companies such as LDK or CSUN, however, are planning to specialize in a limited number of steps in the supply chain.

In a recent survey of Chinese manufacturers by SEMI, 88% of panel suppliers are set to lower or stabilize prices by reducing waste, with 28% saying this will form part of their strategy, a further 27% intend to increase automation, 25% upgrading management systems and a fifth aiming for vertical integration

Chinese PV manufacturers are also garnering recognition on the global stage. For example, based on its recent analysis of the solar energy development market, Frost & Sullivan recognized Suntech with the 2008 Global Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award for solar energy development. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated unparalleled excellence in design and delivery of high-quality PV, in this case for Suntech’s low-cost, high-quality, innovative, and energy-efficient PV cells and modules and system integration solutions.

‘The company’s pioneering success in developing energy-efficient, cost-effective and customizable building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems and crystalline PV cells, and modules for solar energy conversion into electricity are highly commendable,’ says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Mary John, adding ‘It has gone beyond just meeting global energy needs to anticipating them as well.’ The company is export focused and ranks among the top three suppliers in the three largest solar markets – Germany, Spain, and the United States.

In conclusion, while the global PV industry is certain to grow over the next several years, considerable uncertainty surrounds the Chinese market. Polysilicon shortages will remain in effect for the next 18 months and sources of future supply in China have not yet reached high confidence levels. Average efficiency of China-based PV technology is approximately 16–17% and top tier players are expected to improve this to 19% by the end of this year. Aside from materials, human resources will always remain limited in such a rapidly expanding industry. There will be a tough year from second half of 2008.

Even so, China’s solar cell capacity is expected to grow by some 68% in 2008 and with polysilicon constraints set to ease in the second half of 2009.

Chinese solar cell manufacturers need to cooperate with equipment & material vendors to improve the productivity and reduce the cost and the whole industry should collaborate to both advocate government policy to support a domestic market and improve competency in cost reductions.

Nonetheless, regardless of the ultimate scope and nature of the future industry, China’s role in the global industry will certainly grow and - like most industrial segments in China - achieve global impact.

China generates solar-power guidelines

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

CHINA is speeding up the development of industry standards to guide solar-power generation, officials and experts told a conference.

The nation is one of the leading manufacturers of photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight to electricity, although it exports virtually all the products as solar generation is not economic without subsidies from governments or local authorities.

But forming standards has lagged behind the development of the PV cell manufacturing sector, said Li Aixian, director of the Sub-Institute of Resource and Environment Standardization of the China National Institute of Standardization.

China has promulgated 15 national standards for the solar water-heating sector, with another six under development, but there is no related standard yet for solar-power generation, Li said.

The only forms of renewable energy that are competitive in the Chinese mainland without subsidies are solar heaters and hydropower projects.

"Now we have three standards under development for the solar-power generation sector, and a standardization committee will be set up soon," Li told a three-day workshop hosted by US National Institute of Standards and Technology and testing and certification organization Underwriters Laboratories, which concluded yesterday in Shanghai.

The standards for solar generation will cover sectors such as fundamentals, components and materials, generation systems and technological design, Li said.

L.F. Lai, vice president and general manager of UL China, said with rising demand for certification services, Chinese solar-power makers who are unsure of requirements for international certification are turning to the agency for guidance.

China invites world architects to design solar schools for quake areas

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

An international architectural design competition for the so-called "Sun-lit Schools" was launched here Wednesday, to seek solutions for solar-fueled school buildings in the countryside.

The contest is co-organized by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and the China Renewable Energy Society.

Contestants are required to design "Sun-lit" school buildings with reference to climatic conditions in earthquake-hit areas such as Maerkang and Mianyang, both in Sichuan Province.

Energy-efficient design is revolution for the architecture sector, a major energy consumer, according to Zhong Jishou, the organizing committee executive chairman.

"We want to make a breakthrough in building schools in the quake areas," he said. "Moreover, we also want provide a new model for rebuilding programs in these areas."

Professionals from domestic and overseas architectural institutions, universities and research and manufacturing companies related to solar energy are eligible applicants.

China Focuses on Solar Powers Generation

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

China is working on three industry standards for solar power generation, state media reports. The new standards will focus on the "fundamentals, components and materials, generation systems and technological design", Li Aixian, Director of the Sub-Institute of Resource and Environment Standardization of the China National Institute of Standardization, was quoted as saying. So far, there are 15 national standards for the solar water-heating sector. China sees itself as one of the leading manufacturers of photovoltaic cells. However, exports of solar generation products are still subsidised to make them profitable.

Kunming named China's 'Solar City'

a@b.com (solar) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:02 +0800

Kunming has some of the sunniest skies found in any Chinese city. Many visitors to the Spring City wonder why with so many beautiful days each year there aren't more rooftop gardens, cafes or restaurants. One major reason for this is the overwhelming number of Kunming rooftops that are covered with solar water heaters.

A new report by the Worldwatch Institute has declared Kunming to be China's "Solar City", primarily because of the prominence of solar water heaters in the city. The report estimates that more than half of the city uses solar energy to heat its water.

Solar-heated water can be found throughout the city, generally in buildings of 10 stories or lower. Most of the city's newer high-rise apartment buildings and some of the newer high-end residential developments in the city's southwest do not offer solar-heated water.

According to the article, around 30 million households throughout China have solar water heaters - nearly eight percent of those households being located in Kunming. Solar water heaters are becoming increasingly common in other parts of the country because of the growing availability and affordability of solar technology.

Kunming is emerging as a city at the front of China's solar industry - and not just as an end user. Yunnan Normal University is home to the Solar Energy Research Instititute, which was founded in 1971 and is playing an increasingly important role in solar technology research and development.

In recent years the Institute has cooperated with the Ford Foundation via the foundation's Pathways to Higher Education program to expand research, development and use of solar technology throughout Yunnan. The Institute even offers free testing services for Chinese solar companies seeking certification for their products, essentially helping to expedite new products and technologies to the market.

The central government in Beijing is also funding the construction of 30 solar power plants in Yunnan, working through Yunnan Normal's Institute. With a greater number of sunny days than the majority of other Chinese cities, the facilities and manpower at YNU's Solar Energy Research Instititute and a desire by the national and provincial government for cleaner energy alternatives, Kunming is moving toward becoming an alternative energy leader for cities around China and the world.