Comparing power stations

For power stations, customer value is reflected in cost control. Different types of modules impact not only the overall cost of the system but also the energy yield. Currently, mainstream modules are classified by their power levels based on PERC monocrystalline cell technology, with just tiny differences in energy yield. Instead, a greater focus is placed on cost reduction through increasing power, using fewer modules and improving system layouts.

Comparing power stations at different latitudes:

The 210mm modules of 550W, 600W and 660W are primarily designed for large-scale power stations, where the 550W model is in mass use. Data collected from Hebei Energy Engineering Design Institute and Shandong Electric Power Engineering Consulting Institute highlights the variation in performance at different latitudes as follows:

The end cost of the three low-voltage modules significantly drops with increasing power. Comparing the 550W module with the 155mm 450W module, the decreases range between 0.1 and 0.17 yuan/W. And compared to the 182mm 540W module, cost falls anywhere from 0.03 to 0.07 yuan/W.

A staff member from a well-known local design institute said: “According to the test data from the three latitudes, high-power modules can indeed save costs. The amount is region-dependent; in higher latitudes, the saving is more significant as more trackers, pile foundations and cables are used.”

Yu Long, a photovoltaic engineer from the New Energy Division of Shandong Electric Power Engineering Consulting Institute, said: “The three commonly seen modules are developed based on the varying latitudes. The conclusion is clear: modules with higher power help reduce costs. The combination of high-power modules and large low-voltage strings can effectively reduce the cost of power stations.”

Comparing composite projects:

For projects such as agricultural solar lighting, fishing solar lighting and tidal flats, pile foundation costs are usually very high due to various factors such as farming facilities and water depth. The construction is also complicated, which leads to high labor costs. The initial investment is usually much larger than, say, photovoltaic projects. For composite projects, it is critical to reduce the scale of pile foundations.

We compared four composite projects in a variety of locations. These projects have different pile lengths based on four scenarios and the comparison is as follows:

Feng Zhuowen, Chief Engineer of Hunan Institute of New Energy, said: “Projects with agricultural solar lighting and fishing solar lighting have high costs because of the use of pile foundatiosn and trackers. The 210mm module works best to reduce the project cost significantly by lowering the the number of pile foundations. With lower per-watt power cost comes a higher rate of returns.”

210mm series further increases customer value

All set-ups – whether they are domestic or commercial, regular power stations, agricultural or fishing solar lighting – have different pain points. Solutions using the 210mm module are suitable for a wide range of scenarios, even in a market that is highly segmented.

After more than a year in development, there is an arsenal of products in the 210mm series. The 400W and 500W modules are flexible for household distributed projects, while the 550W and 600W modules work very well with power stations via their high-power low-voltage settings. Irrespective of the setting, customer value is increased – something that has been proven by more than a dozen institutions.

With subsidies falling next year, we are entering an era of flat rates and we may find ourselves in a price war. Module prices will likely remain high, though, and there is a chance that the photovoltaic industry may well slow down as prices fall. But innovative products like the 210mm series will likely offset any decline and help drive the industry forward.