Solar sector readying for new challenges

Breakthroughs in efficiency

According to the global solar cell laboratory's highest efficiency chart published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, as of Dec 15, Chinese entities broke records five times, and maintained seven current records.

Notably, the highest efficiency record for silicon-based solar cells was again broken by Longi Green Energy, standing at 27.09 percent on Dec 19, certified by the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin, Germany. The previous record was also set by Longi at 26.81 percent.

The company broke another world record of 33.9 percent conversion efficiency for crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells in late November.

Cao Renxian, chairman of the CPIA, said: "China saw accelerated technological iterations in PV components, with cutting-edge battery technologies gaining industrial traction. The efficiency of novel cells has repeatedly set world records, positioning China at the forefront of such global technology."

Expansion of applications

The robust PV manufacturing industry has facilitated the continuous expansion of application scenarios.

The development of residential PV has progressed rapidly, with China's cumulative installed capacity surpassing 100 million kW by the end of September. Rural areas in China have witnessed over 5 million households installing residential PV systems, driving investment exceeding 500 billion yuan, said the NEA.

Looking at regional distribution, provinces including Shandong, Henan and Hebei led in cumulative installed residential PV capacity as of September, accounting for 60 percent of the country's total, the NEA said.

According to the administration, rural areas in China that have the potential to install PV panels on roofs cover approximately 27.3 billion square meters, and there's huge potential for further development.

Although distributed PV slightly surpassed centralized large-area PV in capacity, the latter's growth was faster, the CPIA said. In the first three quarters of 2023, centralized PV saw installations of 61.79 GW, a year-on-year growth of 257.8 percent.

"The first batch of wind and solar power installations in the Gobi Desert and other arid areas was required to be connected to the grid by the end of 2023, which contributed to the sector's rapid growth," said Wang.