China Solar PV News Snippets: Astronergy Gets TÜV Rheinland And TÜV Nord Certification & More

Astronergy’s ZBB-TOPCon module passes TÜV Rheinland and TÜV Nord testing

Chint Group company Astronergy has announced that its ZBB-TOPCon 78 bifacial module has successfully passed the Level 2 hot spot testing under stringent conditions by TÜV Rheinland and TÜV Nord. The testing was conducted in accordance with the IEC63126-2020 standard. The company said that its module was tested in temperatures above 70°C, as against a 50°C standard hot spot test temperature. After extensive testing, the ZBB-TOPCon 78 module showed no significant appearance changes and a degradation rate of only 0.60%, far below the 5% test standard. Astronergy stated that the zero busbar module, built with its in-house TOPCon 4.0 cell, demonstrated excellent leakage current performance. Additionally, the module’s interconnection between the tabbing ribbon and the cell is further enhanced through a carrier film, ensuring the module's reliability, said the company.

Astronergy displayed its latest TOPCon 4.0 technology-based product offerings for residential and utility applications at the SNEC 2024 event in Shanghai (see Astronergy’s TOPCon 4.0 Module Portfolio On Display At SNEC 2024).

Hunan Energy Investment Group starts construction on 3 GW solar base

Hunan Energy Investment Group has announced the commencement of construction on the 1 GW 1^st phase of its 3 GW solar PV composite power generation project. Located in Hongshibao District, Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the 3 GW project is being built for a total investment of about RMB 12 billion ($1.68 billion), capable of producing 5.9 billion kWh of power annually. The project aims to deliver clean energy to Hunan via the Ning-Xiang UHV DC project and other channels. Additionally, the project adopts the "photovoltaic + desertification control" and "photovoltaic + planting" models to promote local desertification control.

Hebei Traffic Investment Group's 1.2 GW solar module tender

Hebei Traffic Investment Group has announced the winners for the 1^st batch of its 2024 centralized procurement of solar module equipment. The 1.2 GW tender is split into 2 sections of 600 MW each, both for n-type TOPCon bifacial double-glass solar modules of 580 Wp and above. Risen Energy, GCL Si, and JinkoSolar are reported to have submitted bid prices of RMB 0.74/W ($0.1037), RMB 0.752/W ($0.1054), and RMB 0.752/W ($0.1054), respectively. Risen Energy was announced as the winner for the first 600 MW package and GCL Si for the second 600 MW. The delivery period for this tender is from July to September 2024.

NEA issues notice on supervision of distributed solar PV development

The National Energy Administration (NEA) has announced special supervision of distributed solar PV filing and grid connection in 11 provinces, including Shandong, Zhejiang, Henan, and Hunan. This initiative aims to improve grid access efficiency and promote high-quality distributed PV development. Key policies include monitoring inappropriate market interventions, assessing reasonable arrangement of grid capacity evaluations, and ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of grid connection application materials. The supervision seeks to optimize the business environment and ensure compliance with national standards for photovoltaic products.

Recently, NEA released data showing that the country’s green certificate issuance has seen a 13-fold YoY increase for the first half of 2024 (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

Beyondsun's 3 GW solar module facility starts operations

PV module manufacturer Beyondsun has announced the official operation of its new intelligent manufacturing plant in Zhongwei City, Ningxia, and the rollout of the first N Power Pro series n-type TOPCon module. Built for a total investment of RMB 3 billion ($420. 4 million), is being constructed in 2 phases: Phase I with 3 GW of high-efficiency n-type TOPCon modules annual capacity, and Phase II with 2 GW annual capacity of high-efficiency HJT modules. Additionally, it includes a 3 GW aluminum frame production line and a 3 GWh energy storage battery production line.