China

JinkoSolar has announced that it will supply 300 MW of its Tiger solar panels for what it describes as an ultra-high voltage demonstration plant in China’s Qinghai’s province. The project will be connected to an ultra-high voltage power line that State Grid Corp. of China is building to connect the far northwestern part of the country to the more heavily populated eastern provinces.

According to official statistics produced by the nation’s National Energy Administration, China’s cumulative installed PV generation capacity had reached 185.5 GW at the end of June.

Two reports have described how the world’s largest renewable energy market is moving towards maturity. According to the Brookings Institution, the Chinese clean energy market could become more open to Western investors and tech. A report by Fitch claims projects are moving back to inland provinces from coastal regions.

Deploying commercial and industrial PV in China without subsidy is already profitable in some areas, according to a new study, but prohibitive soft costs and cheap electricity are the main barriers for such installations in areas where grid parity remains out of reach.

China’s National Energy Administration has given the greenlight to 3,921 ground-mounted and distributed generation projects. The approved energy price bids ranged from $0.0407 to $0.080, depending on system size, for an average price of $0.048.

The joint venture of the two giant manufacturers will expand its capacity from around 30 GW currently to 55 GW over the next three years. This plan is expected to require an overall investment of $1.34 billion.

In a new interview in a series on renewable energy and geopolitics, Indra Overland describes the possible trajectory of China’s bid to become the world’s solar energy leader. After building a leading position in key technologies and manufacturing, China may find a potential partner in the European Union, especially if the U.S. government pushes forward with its trade war against Beijing, Overland says. Solar and renewables are also helping the country expand its influence in Southeast Asia, fuelling concerns among some of its neighbors, he adds.

Most large manufacturers supplying the inverter market have diversified production outside of China, but this will affect Huawei and other Chinese inverter makers, as well as U.S. module makers.

The global PV market will probably grow by as much as 25% in 2019, after sagging to a double-digit rate of expansion last year, with annual capacity additions likely to hit 129 GW, IHS Markit says in a new report.

Saft, a subsidiary of French oil giant Total, is joining forces with Chinese storage specialist Tianneng to grow in China’s energy storage and EV markets. Tianneng will take a 60% stake in the newly created joint venture, with Saft holding the other 40%.