PV Executives Meet in Western China to Explore the PV Installation Market

Where Will 5GW of PV Panels be Installed in China in 2012?

By Kai Qiao, SEMI China

Hosted by Mr.Mao Zhongsheng, deputy mayor of the city, the SEMI China PV Advisory Committee event was held May 29 2012 in Yulin City, in the Shanxi Province. Committee members from Astronergy, CNBM, Hans PV, JA Solar, Nuvosun, OCI, Oerlikon PV, Seven Star, Silevo Solar, Trina Solar, Wacker participated and executives from more than 20 PV companies such as First Solar, Huanghe Photovoltaic, Goodwe also attended the event. This was the first SEMI event for member company executives in western China to explore the PV installation market after several years of advocacy for China PV FIT policy.

As a note, Yulin City is known as the Kuwait of China because there are rich resources of oil, coal and natural gas. It is a very important electrical generation center in Northwest China. The annual solar irradiation there is as high as 5500~6000MJ/sqm and it has averaged 2600~2800 hours over the past 40 years. The calculation shows that if a 30MW scale PV power plant is installed every square kilometer, there is a potential for 300GW PV modules to be installed in the desert of the Yulin area.  

During the event, officials from the energy bureau, economic development bureau, environment protection bureau introduced the local policy for PV applications as well as manufacturing capabilities development.  After the meeting, the SEMI China PV Advisory Committee visited the Yulin remote control center of the state grid to get the overview of grid connectivity in the region. A site tour/survey was also arranged for the group to assess one of the industry development zones dedicated for PV.

In 2011, 1GW of PV panels were installed in Qinghai province and connected to the grid, the other 1GW is planned for 2012. Leading the new PV market expansion in China, Shanxi, Xingjiang, and Inner Mongolia are emerging regions. All these western provinces are known for their good solar irradiation conditions and the very low cost of land (desert regions). However, compared to the east coast with its crowded population and industrial zones, the local electrical consumption is relatively low in those western provinces.  The good news is that the grid connectivity in these provinces has greatly improved in past several years especially the long distance and ultra-high voltage grid connecting southeast coast. Meanwhile, both the central and provincial governments have defined the plan to boost the economic/industry development in these provinces which will drive local electrical consumption.

To promote PV application as well as the environmental-friendly industry development in the area, the SEMI China PV Advisory Committee has set the direction for SEMI China to engage the western province governments in order to positively influence development in the area. The event in Yulin City was quite successful as the proof of concept. Similar events in Xingjiang and Inner Mongolia are planned for August 2012 and will be opened to SEMI member companies worldwide.  The agenda of the events will be published in early July. Contact Kai Qiao at kqiao@semi.org if you would like to participate.

SEMI PV Group, The Grid – June 2012