China solar

For the last three decades, China has been on an economic and technological growth path unequaled in size and duration. The country’s government is playing an active role in shaping the global digital economy, serving as one of its biggest backers and building a world-class infrastructure to support digitalization, by acting as an investor, solar power-developer – both terrestrial and in space – and consumer.

The scandal-hit Hong Kong-based solar manufacturer has had trading in its shares suspended for six years but white knight investor Cheung Shun Lee is hoping to get it back into operation.

Real estate and logistics company owner Cheung Shun Lee is making a third attempt to relist a company whose shares have been suspended for five-and-a-half years, and whose corporate history during that time reads like a soap opera.

Global solar PV demand this year will be less than in 2017, on the back of China’s latest policy decision, says TrendForce. Overall, it sees new installs dropping 40% in China to 31.6 GW. The protectionist measures taken by the U.S. will also be weakened by the resulting falling module prices.

Trina Solar Limited and China Singyes Solar Technologies Holdings Limited have been awarded a 250 MW solar PV project under China’s Top Runner program.

Of the 9.65 GW of solar PV China installed in the first quarter of 2018, 7.68 GW comprised distributed generation (DG) systems, reports China’s National Energy Administration (NEA). Changes to the country’s PV policy have also been proposed.

According to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), the country installed a total of 52.83 GW of solar PV in 2017, with cumulative capacity now sitting at 130.25 GW. Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory Co. Ltd (AECEA) forecasts this to reach 250 GW by 2020.

BNEF has released its top 10 clean energy predictions for 2018, including at least 107 GW of solar PV installs. China will lead, but Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East will notably up the ante. India will install less RE than in 2017, but will see fossils outpace RE for the last time; and China will see distributed grid connected solar leading the market. Li-ion prices are also declining, while EV sales grow.

Risen Energy Co. Ltd is gearing up to begin production at a new, 5 GW solar PV cell and module manufacturing facility in China. A spokesperson for the company tells pv magazine manufacturing will begin this January 17.

China was the global leader in 2017 clean energy investment, says a new report. On the solar front, the country accounts for 60% of all cell production; and will continue to lead installation developments for at least the next five years. New 2020 targets are expected to be set. In the battery arena, Chinese companies are also set to dominate.