Chinese PV Industry Brief: Big solar-plus-hydrogen, 200 MW of floating PV and higher PV glass prices

Chinese inverter manufacturer Sungrow has signed an agreement with Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, for a huge clean energy demonstration project combining PV power stations, storage, solar-powered hydrogen and EV charging stations. The total investment in the 2 GW project is about RMB 10 billion ($1.46 billion) and will be made through the entire period of the 14th five-year plan, which spans 2021 to 2025.

According to PV Infolink, the price of PV glass will be higher in October, with an increase of over 10%. Compared with the beginning of 2020, the price has risen by 46% to over RMB 30 ($4.40) per square meter. The unit cost has increased to RMB 0.15 ($0.02) per square meter for glass used in monofacial modules and RMB 0.30 ($0.044) per square meter for glass used in bifacial products. Due to strong pressure for environmental protection from the Chinese government, approval for an expansion of PV glass capacity would be difficult and the shortage of PV glass is expected to continue along with the rapid expansion of module capacity.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of Zhaoqing city, Guangdong Province, has revealed that the city government is planning to build three PV power stations with a total capacity of 320 MW. Two of the projects, each with a capacity of 100 MW and a required investment of RMB 550 million ($80.7 million), will rely on floating PV technology and will both be located on fishponds. The third project is a 120 MW ground-mounted PV plant with a required investment of RMB 660 million ($96.8 million).

Module manufacturer Trina Solar announced on Monday that it had signed an agreement with the government of Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, for the construction of a 10 GW solar module factory. The total investment will be no more than RMB 2.5 billion ($366 million). Construction on the new facility is expected to be completed within 18 months. Last week, the company announced another plan for 15 GW of module capacity at its headquarters in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Trina Solar has set a target of 50 GW of module capacity by end of 2021.