JinkoSolar, a leading solar and energy storage manufacturer, has signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with solar PV paste producer DKEM. According to the agreement, the 2 companies will collaborate on technological innovation for high-efficiency solar cell metallization paste and on low-silver/silver-free metallization technologies for solar cells.
Having achieved results in industrializing TOPCon 1.0 and developing laser-enhanced sintering metallization for TOPCon 2.0, JinkoSolar and DKEM are now promoting industrial innovation and mass production practices for silver-reduced and silver-free metallization technologies in the TOPCon 3.0 era.
Last month, JinkoSolar announced plans to sell an 80% stake in Zhejiang Jinko New Materials Co., Ltd. to DKEM (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Chinese energy developers China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) and Inner Mongolia Energy Group have begun construction on the central-northern section of the renewable energy base in the Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongolia. The project involves a total investment of RMB 98.8 billion ($13.78 billion). It is planned to include 8 GW of solar, 4 GW of wind, 4 GW of supporting coal power, and 5 GWh of new energy storage.
The Kubuqi Desert renewable base is said to be one of China’s largest integrated solar and wind projects. To date, 13.06 GW of new energy capacity has already been installed, contributing to the ecological restoration of 20,000 ha of desertified land.
The ultra-high-voltage transmission corridor supporting the project has also begun construction and is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2027, transmitting about 36 billion kWh of electricity to the grid annually.
Last month, CTG fully grid-connected its 1 GW ‘CSP + PV’ project, dubbed as China’s largest linear Fresnel CSP-PV hybrid project, in Hami, Xinjiang (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission is soliciting public comments on a proposed reform plan to marketize renewable electricity pricing.
The plan defines categorized management ratios as below:
For projects commissioned before June 1, 2025: Targeted poverty-alleviation PV systems and low-voltage (380 V and below) distributed PV systems will have 100% of their generation under the fixed-price mechanism; wind, centralized PV, and 10 (6) kV and above distributed PV projects will have 80% of their generation covered, all benchmarked against Henan’s coal-fired power tariff.
For projects commissioned after June 1, 2025: Project owners may voluntarily bid for the proportion of fixed-price electricity below their total grid-connected volume, with upper limits specified in each bidding notice.
Hohai University has led the completion of the project titled Key Technologies and Applications for Digital Twin Smart Operation and Maintenance of PV Power Plants under Complex Conditions, with a subsidiary of PV project developer and operator Linyang that participated in technical implementation and engineering validation.
According to Linyang, the project achieved progress in 3 key areas:
Building a spatiotemporal digital twin system capable of reproducing the historical operation states of PV plants to support fault analysis and performance evaluation
Developing a refined multi-factor irradiance computation model that enhances power generation simulation accuracy in complex terrain environments
Applying UAV-based electroluminescence (EL) imaging combined with artificial intelligence for automated identification and localization of PV module defects
Linyang says these technologies have been implemented in its operations, resulting in a digital twin operation and maintenance system suited for complex environmental conditions.