Photovoltaic industry is developing rapidly and competition will intensify in the future

Strong demand in domestic and foreign markets has driven the strong growth of the photovoltaic industry on the manufacturing side. A reporter from “China Trade News” recently learned from the 2022 China Photovoltaic Industry Annual Conference that my country’s photovoltaic industry has performed strongly this year. In the first three quarters, the output of polysilicon was 550,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 52.8%, and the output of silicon wafers was 236 GW, a year-on-year increase of 43%. The output of solar cells was 209 GW, a year-on-year increase of 42.2%, and the output of modules was 191 GW, a year-on-year increase of 46.9%.

“The reason why the photovoltaic industry can develop so rapidly is not unrelated to innovation. On the one hand, technological innovation is highly active. In the first 11 months of this year, the efficiency of my country’s photovoltaic crystalline silicon cell laboratory broke the world record 11 times; on the other hand, the photovoltaic industry A number of specialized and special new enterprises have emerged, and as of November this year, 87 companies have won the title of specialized and special new.” Wang Bohua, honorary chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, used “rapid” to describe this year’s photovoltaic application market at the meeting develop.

The reporter noticed that in recent years, under the influence of policies and driven by the industrial revolution, my country’s wind power, solar power and other new energy industries have developed strongly, and the installed capacity has maintained rapid growth. This provides a “green” driving force for my country’s economic and social development, and at the same time, leverages the development momentum of the photovoltaic industry. In June of this year, nine departments including the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the “14th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development”. Among them, it is proposed to accelerate the construction of large-scale wind power and solar power generation bases focusing on deserts, Gobi and desert areas. At present, the first batch of large-scale wind power photovoltaic bases focusing on deserts, Gobi, and desert areas have all started construction, the second batch of large-scale base projects have begun construction, and the third batch of large-scale wind power bases has been declared.

“Since the beginning of this year, more than 70% of the country’s newly installed power capacity has come from new energy sources,” said Xiong Minfeng, deputy director of the New Energy and Renewable Energy Department of the National Energy Administration.

According to the latest data released by the National Energy Administration, in the first 10 months of this year, the investment of my country’s major power generation companies in solar power generation construction reached 157.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 326.7%. Compared with the same period last year, the new installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation has doubled. In particular, the construction of large-scale wind power and photovoltaic bases and the development and construction of rooftop distributed photovoltaics focusing on deserts, Gobi, and desert areas have accelerated, and investment in new energy has accelerated significantly.

It goes without saying that in the unprecedented global energy change, photovoltaic energy has increasingly become the main force to replace traditional energy, industrial technology innovation is in the ascendant, and an industrial system from advanced materials, equipment manufacturing to system application is increasingly formed.

“With the rise of global energy transformation and low-carbon development, most countries and regions in the world have proposed the goal of ‘carbon neutrality’ and established corresponding incentive policies. Green, clean and environmental protection have become a worldwide consensus. “Zhou Shengyong, Director of Product Technical Service of Chint New Energy, also said in an interview with a reporter from China Trade News.

At the same time, the export of photovoltaic products has also achieved a rise in volume and price. According to the data released by the conference, in the first 10 months of this year, the total export volume of photovoltaic products (silicon wafers, cells, modules) exceeded US$44.03 billion, a year-on-year increase of 90.3%, a record high.

“Among them, the export volume of photovoltaic modules was 132.2GW, an increase of 61% year-on-year, and the export value was 36.84 billion US dollars, an increase of 85.8% year-on-year. The traditional photovoltaic application market maintained strong demand. Europe’s demand for photovoltaics has risen, and the share of exports to the European market exceeds half. The market share of exports to Spain, Germany, and Poland has increased significantly.” Wang Bohua said.

Nevertheless, the photovoltaic industry is also facing the situation of intensified external competition. “The growth process of China’s photovoltaic industry is bound to be full of opportunities and challenges.” Wang Bohua mentioned in his speech that some overseas companies are currently trying to accelerate iteration through new technologies. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy has established the “Cadmium Telluride Development Alliance” to expand domestic production of cadmium telluride photovoltaic materials and components; The update of solar photovoltaic technology; Japanese companies regard perovskite products as candidates for a new generation of photovoltaic cells, and strive to regroup in the photovoltaic product market.