CHINA SOLAR PV NEWS UPDATE: WEEK 38

China’s August 2024 solar power generation up 21.7% YoY; DAS SOLAR 's flexible mounting system performs well in Category 17 Typhoon; Runergy’s 2278 ×1134 mm n-type module achieves 624.9 W; Chinese solar module bidding prices hit record low. All these and a host of other news stories from China in our Weekly China Solar PV News Overview.

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MARKETS

Chinese solar module bidding prices hit record low: State-owned power generation enterprise China Huadian Corporation has released the results of its 16.034 GW solar module centralized procurement for 2024. The bidding saw participation from 49 solar module companies, with the lowest bid price dropping to RMB 0.622/W ($0.0879/W), setting a new record low for solar module bidding prices in China. The tender for 16.034 GW of solar modules is divided into 3 sections. Sections 1 and 2 are procurement framework agreements valid until June 2025, while Section 3 is a formal procurement agreement with delivery scheduled from September to November 2024. It was Section 1, for 14 GW of n-type TOPCon modules with a minimum conversion efficiency of 22.3%, which saw the record low bid price of RMB 0.622/W ($0.0879/W). The highest bid in this section was RMB 0.73/W ($0.1031/W), with an average price of RMB 0.687/W ($0.0971/W). Section 2, for 500 MW of n-type BC or HJT modules with a minimum efficiency of 22.6%, saw bid prices range from RMB 0.761/W to RMB 0.86/W ($0.1075 to $0.1215/W), with an average price of RMB 0.806 /W ($0.1139/W). The 1.5 GW Section 3, for n-type TOPCon modules with a minimum efficiency of 22.4%, saw prices in the range of RMB 0.685 to RMB 0.8/W ($0.0968 to $0.113/W), with an average price of RMB 0.726/W ($0.1026/W).

China’s August 2024 solar power generation up 21.7% YoY: China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has released the country’s power generation figures for the month of August 2024, along with the data for large-scale industrial production. The country’s large-scale industrial power generation totaled 907.4 billion kWh, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 5.8%. Solar power generation accounted for 4.25% of the total, reaching 38.6 billion kWh, up 21.7% YoY. In addition, NEA also announced that in August, the output of solar cells by large-scale industrial enterprises was 45.15 GW, a YoY decrease of 9%. For the first 8 months, the cumulative output of solar cells was 369.94 GW, a YoY increase of 12.6%.

BUSINESS

Production / Cells & Modules / HJT

Grand Sunergy receives EIA approval for 5 GW HJT module fab: Grand Sunergy has announced that its 5 GW high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar module manufacturing facility has received environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval. According to documents released by the Laizhou branch of the Yantai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, the project will be located in Laizhou City, Shandong Province, with a total investment of RMB 1.58 billion ($222.65 million). To be constructed in three phases, the first phase involves building the infrastructure for the 5 GW module factory and acquiring equipment for 1.25 GW of capacity. Phases 2 and 3 will respectively expand the factory's capacity by 1.25 GW and 2.5 GW, for a total annual capacity of 5 GW once complete.

Supply / Cells & Modules

AIKO’s n-type ABC modules for Xiangtan Steel PV Project: Xiangtan Steel, a manufacturer of high-quality steel for wires, bars and wide and thick plates, has brought online a 50 MW solar power station at its factory. The project uses AIKO’s n-type ABC modules on the roof of the factory building, helping it alleviate the power consumption pressure while saving energy and reducing costs and emissions. The setup is expected to generate about 46 million kWh of clean electricity to Xiangtan Steel every year. This will save the company about RMB 5.5 million (approx. $772,000) in electricity bills, and reduce the consumption of about 17,000 tons of standard coal and carbon emissions by about 45,000 tons.

Mounting Systems

DAS Solar's flexible mounting system performs well in Category 17 Typhoon: DAS Solar has announced that its flexible mounting system at the 70 MW fishery-solar hybrid project in Ding'an County, Hainan Island – located only 50 kilometers from the Super Typhoon Saola’s landfall point – remained stable after the storm. The typhoon made landfall along the coast of Wenchang City, Hainan Province, on September 6, with maximum winds exceeding Category 17 and speeds over 68 m/s. DAS Solar also provided design, construction, and installation services for this project. DAS Solar explained that its independently developed new-generation flexible mounting system replaces traditional tube racks with prestressed steel strands. The mounting system for east-west orientation adopts 2 prestressed steel strands for load-bearing, while the one for north-south uses a unique design of inter-row flexible stability and wind resistance system. This forms a spatial cable-net structure in both east-west and north-south arrays, effectively resisting external loads and significantly improving wind vibration resistance performance.

Arctech Solar’s latest research on large-span flexible solar mounting systems: Arctech Solar's Wind Engineering Research Institute, led by Dr. Changhong Chen and a team of external experts, has published 3 SCI papers on advancements in large-span flexible solar mounting systems. The research, based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and optimization design, investigates factors such as initial tension in cables, solar module tilt angle, and ground anchor configuration, all of which affect the wind-induced vibration coefficient of flexible solar mounting systems. These studies provide optimization solutions and will serve as theoretical support for upgrading Arctech Solar’s existing products and developing new ones. The findings were published in Journal of Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics (titled “Numerical assessment of the initial pre-tension impact on wind-induced vibration in flexible cable-supported photovoltaic systems”), Solar Energy (titled “Effect of tilt angle on wind-induced vibration in pre-stressed flexible cable-supported photovoltaic systems”), and Case Studies in Construction Materials (titled “Analysis of wind-induced vibration effect parameters in flexible cable-supported photovoltaic systems: A case study on ground anchor with steel cables”). Arctech recently reported its H1 2024 revenues rose 75.73% YoY (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

Certifications

Runergy’s 2278 ×1134 mm n-type module achieves 624.9 W: Solar cell and module manufacturer Runergy has announced that its independently developed 182 mm n-type solar module, with dimensions of 2278 × 1134mm, has achieved a front-side power output of 624.9 W, as certified by TüV Rheinland. The company said that the module achieved a top conversion efficiency of 24.2%. The company says that these figures are new power and efficiency records for a module of this size. Runergy said that this achievement comes as a result of several optimizations, including improvements in the cell’s textured surface, anti-reflective coatings, edge passivation, and materials on the front and rear of the module, which reduced electrical losses and increased the power output. Recently, Tongwei announced its plans to acquire a majority stake in Runergy?(see?Tongwei Makes Offer To Acquire Majority Stake In Fellow Chinese Company).

JA Solar receives TüV SüD IEC TS 62994:2019 certification: Vertically integrated solar module manufacturer JA Solar has announced that it has received the IEC TS 62994:2019 Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Risk Assessment Certificate from TüV SüD. The certification is a specification for EH&S risk assessment throughout the entire lifecycle of PV modules. The authoritative agency evaluated JA Solar's entire process—including module production and manufacturing, use, recycling, disposal, and environmental health and safety risks— to confirm that it meets the requirements of the IEC TS 62994:2019 standard. Earlier this month, JA Solar announced it has supplied 1.1 GW of n-type DeepBlue 4.0 Pro modules for 2 animal husbandry and PV complementary projects in Tibet (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

Trina Solar’s ESG rating upgraded to ‘BBB’ by MSCI: In its latest results for 2024, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), a leading global index company, has upgraded Trina Solar’s ESG rating from ‘BB’ to ‘BBB.’ Trina Solar said this rating upgrade reflects the continuous improvement of its ESG efforts. According to the MSCI rating report, Trina Solar continues to lead the industry in areas such as Clean Tech Opportunities, Corporate Behavior, and Water Stress. In terms of Corporate Governance, Trina Solar outperforms the global industry average and has made continuous progress over the past year. In addition to the MSCI ESG rating, Trina Solar says its ESG efforts have also received multiple other awards and certifications, including the Decarbonization Leader award from the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, inclusion in Forbes China's Top 50 Sustainable Development Industrial Enterprises, and recognition as an outstanding case by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). Trina Solar’s VP, Dr. Chen Yifeng, recently said that TOPCon solar module technology will dominate the PV industry over the next 5 years, with a market share of 70-80% by 2025 (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

Astronergy’s TOPCon modules pass UVID resistance tests: Chint Group company and solar module manufacturer Astronergy has announced that its ASTRO N n-type TOPCon PV modules have passed rigorous UVID tests. The modules showed only 0.7% degradation under UV60 exposure, exhibiting power generation stability over the long term. UVID (UV-Induced Degradation) causes module performance degradation under UV irradiation, which is a key challenge for module reliability. Astronergy says its advanced film deposition and LIF tech boost UV resistance. It added that ASTRO N modules also performed well under UV120, showing a degradation of just 1.2%. Featuring TOPCon 4.0 cell tech, the company says these modules ensure over 87.4% power output after 30 years. Astronergy recently announced that its Jiuquan facility has been awarded a zero-carbon factory certification by TüV Rheinland (see China Solar PV News Snippets).