Astronergy secures TOPCon PV module tenders worth 3 GW
Solar module maker Astronergy has announced that it has received 3 GW of PV module contract awards from 2 of China’s state-owned energy companies, the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and China Huadian Corporation (CHC). For the 12.5 GW PV module tender from SPIC, Astronergy will supply 1.57 GW of its n-type TOPCon modules, including the ASTRO N5 and N7 series. Additionally, Astronergy obtained a 1.4 GW contract as part of CHC's 16 GW tender. The company claims it has won bids worth over 7 GW from CHC since 2023.
According to a recent CPVT report, Astronergy’s ASTRO N n-type TOPCon PV modules were found to show a 1st-year degradation of just 0.66% (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
LONGi partners with Yingfa on 16 GW HPBC cell manufacturing fab
Leading solar manufacturer LONGi has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Yingfa Group subsidiary Yingfa Deyao Technology Co., Ltd. and Yibin High-tech Zone of Yibin City in Sichuan Province for a manufacturing facility that will produce 16 GW of HPBC solar cells annually. Through this agreement, the 3 parties aim to strengthen cooperation in the PV industry, focusing on HPBC cell production, sales, and related technologies. The initial phase, with a planned capacity of 6 GW, is expected to be completed by 2025. According to InfoLink Consulting, Yingfa Group ranked 4th in global external solar cell shipments (excluding self-use by vertically integrated manufacturers and outsourced production) alongside AIKO for the first half of 2024.
LONGi recently announced achieving 25.4% efficiency for a solar module based on its HPBC 2.0 cell platform (see LONGi Announces ‘World Record’ For C-Si Solar Module Efficiency).
G-grade bankability certificate for Trinasolar
Trinasolar has announced that its Vertex n-type bifacial modules have passed the stringent sequential testing by TÜV Rheinland and received the Bankability certificate. TÜV Rheinland conducted rigorous evaluations based on the advanced Bankability 2 PfG 2940 testing standards. Among the tested modules, Trinasolar says its Vertex n-type bifacial series achieved the highest G-grade, demonstrating exceptional reliability and quality. It said further that the modules excelled in tests such as thermal cycling, load & hail resistance, rear-side UV exposure, and LeTID, showing minimal degradation.
Trinasolar is selling its 5 GW solar module production plant in the US to FREYR (see Amid ‘Geopolitical Risks’ Trinasolar Sells Off 5 GW US Solar Module Plant).
Clenergy wins 1.1 GW solar mounting system contract
Solar tracker and mounting systems manufacturer Clenergy has won a 1.1 GW solar mounting systems contract from the Chinese energy developer Longyuan Power. The project primarily uses 2 of the company's flagship products: the SolarTerrace MAC ground mounting solution and the digital intelligent tracking system named ezTracker. According to Clenergy, the SolarTerrace MAC ground solution is easy to install and highly compatible, adaptable to complex terrains, and resistant to steep slopes and gullies. The ezTracker system, with its patented multi-point drive, reduces torsional load and maintains aerodynamic stability in extreme weather, making it suitable for various geological and climatic conditions, including agrivoltaics and aquavoltaics applications.
China’s 2023 PV power utilization rate hits 98%
The National Energy Administration (NEA) of China released the 2023 monitoring and evaluation report on renewable energy development. Key renewable energy power data is as follows:
By the end of 2023, China’s total renewable energy installed capacity reached 1.516 billion kW, up approximately 25% year-on-year, accounting for 52% of the total power installed capacity. Solar power installed capacity reached 609 million kW
In 2023, China added 305 million kW of new renewable energy capacity, including 21.602 million kW of grid-connected solar power
Total renewable energy generation reached 2.95 trillion kWh in 2023, accounting for 31.8% of all power generation; photovoltaic power generation was 583.3 billion kWh, or 6.3% of all power generation
The renewable energy consumption obligation for 2023 was fulfilled at a rate of 32.0%, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous year
China’s photovoltaic power utilization rate in 2023 was 98.0%, a 0.3 percentage point decrease year-on-year
6 Chinese government departments, including the NEA and NDRC, recently released guidelines to promote renewable energy replacement (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
China adds 11,560 new registered PV projects in September
According to the NEA, China registered 11,631 new renewable energy projects (excluding household solar) in September 2024, including 36 wind power projects, 11,560 solar PV projects (50 centralized PV power projects and 11,510 industrial and commercial distributed solar PV projects, excluding household solar), and 35 biomass power projects. By region, the top 3 provinces for new centralized solar projects were Hebei (12 projects), Shandong (8 projects), and Jiangxi (6 projects). For industrial and commercial solar projects, the top 3 provinces were Guangdong (3,932 projects), Shandong (1,844 projects), and Zhejiang (1,640 projects).