Magazine Archive 05 - 2023 | The journey to 100 GW

There is nothing quite like the scale that China can, and has achieved. With vast human and financial resources available, the country has built many things with an urgency the world has never seen before – from tech giants, to high-speed train networks, and vast urban centers, through to innovative manufacturing companies. And it has […]

The Invesco Solar ETF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the MAC Global Solar Energy Index, under-performed relative to the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average in April. Jesse Pichel, of Roth Capital Partners, attributes this to stagnation in the US residential market and an expected decline in California thanks to new net metering rules.

As asset managers become the renewables utilities of the future – given the remarkable advances that solar has made over the past decade – they will have to ensure clean energy generation while working with energy users to stagger demand, says Gerard Reid.

The introduction of a solar mandate pilot program has driven an explosion in rooftop PV across China. S&P Global expects small-array installation figures of around 60 GW per year in the immediate future, reports principal analyst Holly Hu.

Soaring polysilicon prices have prompted China’s solar giants to increasingly expand upstream, to get a slice of the action and a grip on their supply chains. With oversupply looming, however, a less expansionist approach may lie ahead, reports InfoLink’s Alan Tu.

New entrants to solar equipment procurement may be surprised to encounter constantly amended contract terms, index-linked price rises, and near-worthless defect warranties, but they reflect recent supply chain troubles. Clean Energy Associates’ Martin Deak offers a buyers guide.

From zero to hero in 20 years, China’s PV industry has undergone an extraordinary journey. Vincent Shaw considers the reasons for the nation’s solar success and the challenges ahead.

While China’s trajectory to 100 GW(AC) of annual installations has been steep, rapid growth is set to continue, says Dany Qian, global vice president of JinkoSolar. She notes that policies such as the Top Runner Program have incentivized high-efficiency products, driving the Chinese industry to adopt new tech such as TOPCon (tunnel-oxide passivated contact) solar.

Frank Haugwitz arrived in China in June 2002 as technical adviser to the solar-focused Sino-German Renewable Energies in Rural Areas Program. He has directly observed the nation’s rise to solar superpower status.

Zhengrong Shi and his company, Suntech, are true pioneers of the Chinese solar industry. While Suntech burned bright, and eventually flamed out, under Shi’s leadership, the company’s solar ecosystem and innovation persist as China’s PV market surges past 100 GW(AC) today.