Leading integrated solar manufacturer LONGi has unveiled its Hi-MO X10 lightweight bifacial module, specifically designed for low-load-bearing rooftops such as old factory buildings, lightweight color steel tile roofs, and truss structures. Built on LONGi’s proprietary HPBC 2.0 technology, the company claims the module achieves a conversion efficiency of up to 24.8% and a maximum power output of 560 W. At 7.2 kg/m2, the company says it is 42% lighter than conventional dual-glass TOPCon modules, significantly reducing rooftop structural load requirements and shortening installation time to just 8-10 days. It adds that despite its reduced weight, the Hi-MO X10 offers excellent mechanical strength and weather resistance, with front and rear load-bearing capacities of 3,600 Pa and 2,400 Pa, respectively.
LONGi’s HPBC 2.0 solar modules, Hi-MO 9 and Hi-MO X10, recently received TÜV SÜD's PID-p certification (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The 4 GW Ruoqiang solar power project in Xinjiang, developed by China Green Development Group (CGDG), has officially commenced full-capacity commercial operation. Located on the southeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, the project covers 76.02 km² and is expected to generate 6.9 billion kWh of electricity annually. It is currently the largest single-site PV installation in China’s ‘desert, Gobi, and barren land’ solar initiative. The project also holds the distinction of being the world's largest PV power plant using heterojunction (HJT) modules. Huasun, a leading HJT module manufacturer, supplied 1.8 GW of high-efficiency HJT modules for the site.
Major HJT solar cell manufacturing equipment supplier Maxwell has announced plans to issue convertible corporate bonds to raise RMB 1.967 billion ($274.3 million) to fund what it calls the ‘Perovskite Tandem Solar Cell Equipment Industrialization Project.’ The company has planned to invest a total of RMB 2.138 billion ($298.2 million) in this facility. It has allocated all of the capital raised from this bond offering towards R&D and mass production of core manufacturing equipment for perovskite tandem solar cells. With a 6-year term, the bonds will be convertible into Maxwell A-shares and are to be listed on the Shenzhen Growth Enterprise Market (ChiNext).
In April, Maxwell reported that its total revenues for FY2024 were up 21.53% year-on-year (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute (CREEI) has released its 2024 report on renewable energy engineering costs. According to the report, the average total investment for utility-scale ground-mounted PV projects in China is estimated at RMB 3,450/kW ($479.5/kW), down by approximately 11.5% from 2023. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is about RMB 0.20/kWh ($0.028/kWh), based on a 5% discount rate and 1,200 annual full-load utilization hours. For nearshore offshore PV projects, the average investment is approximately RMB 4,800/kW ($667.1/kW). The report forecasts that from 2026 to 2030, average project costs for ground-mounted PV in China may drop to RMB 2,300–2,800/kW ($319.7–389.1/kW).
According to the China New Energy Consumption Monitoring and Early Warning Center, the national utilization rate of solar and wind power reached 93.9% and 93.2% respectively during January to April 2025, compared to 96.3% and 96.1% during the same period last year. In April alone, solar and wind utilization rates were 94% and 94.2%, both reflecting year-on-year declines of 2-3 percentage points.