Expert Interpretation | What does it mean to be a leader in photovoltaic power generation?

President Xi Jinping's first trip to the United States after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China told a vivid and wonderful Chinese story to the United States, the Asia-Pacific region and the world from different dimensions. President Xi Jinping said of the green development that all parties are concerned about: "At present, nearly half of the world's installed photovoltaic power generation capacity is in China, more than half of the world's new energy vehicles are driven in China, and a quarter of the world's new green area comes from China. We strive to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. We do what we say. ”

So, what is the technology of photovoltaic power generation, what does nearly half of its installed capacity mean in China, and what role does photovoltaic power play in the energy transition process that the international community is working hard to promote?

The "advanced version" of solar power generation technology

The energy transition has always attracted the attention of the international community, mainly because of its crucial role in solving the global climate problem. In the previous period of industrialization, countries around the world continued to use fossil fuels such as coal and oil to generate electricity in order to promote local economic development. And over time, scientists have found that the massive use of fossil fuels has increased greenhouse gas emissions, placing a huge burden on the environment. Therefore, modern society, especially among major countries, has reached a consensus to promote energy transition, and many measures have been proposed to promote low-carbon development. For example, many countries see accelerating the development of renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar energy as a fundamental way to ensure energy security and effectively respond to global climate change.

Renewable energy is a kind of energy compared with traditional non-renewable fossil energy, and its biggest feature is that it can be automatically generated in nature without human participation, which is in line with the scientific concept of sustainable development. At present, there are common renewable energy sources on the earth such as solar, wind, and hydro. Among them, hydropower has high efficiency and low cost, but resource development is limited by geographical conditions, and the construction of hydropower stations may have a great impact on the ecological environment and land vegetation. In contrast, solar power generation has the advantages of both sustainable use and cleanliness, and can be built and developed in both urban buildings and the Gobi Desert.

Traditional solar power generation mainly converts the collected solar energy into electricity by setting up collectors and other equipment on the ground or roof, and then outputs it to the power grid system. These collectors are generally made of specially treated reflective materials that convert the sun's radiant energy into heat, which is then converted into electricity through thermomechanical work. The process is similar to using a bunch of curved mirrors to reflect solar energy to a focal point, and then use the thermal energy to heat the water to form high-temperature steam, which in turn drives a turbine to generate electricity.

光伏发电相当于The "advanced version" of solar power generation technology。光伏发电是根据光生伏特效应原理，利用太阳能电池将太阳光能直接转化为电能。1839年，年仅19岁的法国科学家贝克雷尔在实验室中发现了光生伏特效应，即光照使不均匀半导体或半导体与金属结合的不同部位之间产生电位差的现象，如果两者之间连通，就会形成电流的回路。因此，为了将太阳光转换为电力，光伏发电系统中需要放置光伏电池板，这些光伏电池板由能够直接将太阳能转换为电能的半导体材料所制成。

In recent years, with the development of science and technology, the power generation efficiency of solar cells has been continuously improved, the production cost has been reduced, and the technology of "photovoltaic power generation" has also attracted more and more attention.

A major boost to the global energy transition

In fact, photovoltaic cells have been used as early as the 60s of the 20th century, but they are mainly used to provide power for space exploration fields such as satellites and space stations. When people realized the importance of renewable energy, photovoltaic power generation quickly moved towards large-scale commercialization, and some countries and regions began to introduce policies to encourage and support the development and application of photovoltaic power generation.

Although China's photovoltaic power generation started late, it has developed rapidly. In terms of brand, Chinese enterprises have an absolute advantage, in the "2023 Global Photovoltaic Brand Top 100 List", there are 90 brands from China; in terms of technology research and development, this year, the efficiency of crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem cells independently developed by Chinese enterprises has reached 33.9%, breaking the previous world record of 33.7% held by the Saudi research team; in terms of international competition, the global market share of China's photovoltaic industry has increased from 40% in 2010 to nearly 70% in 2017 McKinsey, a world-renowned consulting agency, clearly pointed out in the "Comparative Report on the Industrial Advantages of China and the United States" that China's photovoltaic industry is ahead of the United States in an all-round way.

On November 15 this year, China and the United States issued the Sunshine Country Statement on Strengthening Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis, which has greatly boosted the confidence of all parties to work together to address climate change. According to the statement, China and the United States support the G20 Leaders' Declaration to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, which is expected to add an average of 600 million kilowatts of renewable energy capacity each year.

In this context, photovoltaic power generation occupies an absolute dominant position in the installed capacity of renewable energy due to its green, safe, efficient and wide range of applications. The international community, especially China and the United States, working together to develop photovoltaic power generation is of great significance for promoting the global energy transition.

First of all, the global market size of the photovoltaic industry is extremely large. The global solar market is now over $700 billion and is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2030. In the face of such a huge market opportunity, enterprises from all over the world make full use of the international market platform, healthy competition and learn from each other, which can accelerate the pace of product research and development, promote the further expansion of photovoltaic market share, and also contribute to the clean transformation of global energy.

Second, PV cooperation can reduce costs and enhance competitiveness. On a global scale, the technology level and cost of the photovoltaic industry in different countries vary greatly, and cooperation can achieve resource integration and complementary advantages. Through joint investment, R&D and production, technology and resource sharing can also be carried out, saving costs and time, and improving product quality and market competitiveness.

Third, PV cooperation is not only of positive significance for exploring the global market, but also plays a role in promoting the progress of the global renewable energy industry. Through photovoltaic cooperation, countries can use advanced technology and equipment to effectively promote the adjustment and upgrading of industrial structure, thereby improving production efficiency and energy efficiency. At the same time, the exchange of information and technological innovation in the field of renewable energy on a global scale will also jointly promote the progress and application of renewable energy technology.

What are the uses of photovoltaic power generation?

Today, as an economically competitive form of renewable energy, photovoltaics have become an important part of the global energy supply. According to data analysis, driven by the rising global electricity price and the more competitive LCOE of photovoltaic systems, it is expected that the new installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation in the world this year will reach 414 million kilowatts.

In fact, the so-called "installed capacity" refers to the effective power that the generator set is rated to emit, which is one of the main indicators to characterize the construction scale and power production capacity of the generator set. The higher the installed photovoltaic capacity, the larger the total capacity of the photovoltaic power generation equipment, and the higher the ability to produce electric energy. There are many factors that affect the installed capacity of photovoltaics, including the degree of policy support, the construction cost of photovoltaic power plants, the efficiency of photovoltaic technology, regional lighting, etc. Among them, the degree of policy support is one of the most critical factors affecting the installed capacity of photovoltaics.

For the country, the importance of photovoltaic power generation capacity is self-evident, which can effectively reflect the development of the photovoltaic industry and provide an important reference for planning and decision-making in related fields. At the same time, due to the advantages of photovoltaic power generation such as clean and renewable, the increase in its installed capacity will also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and protect the environment.

Not long ago, President Xi Jinping mentioned during his trip to the United States that "nearly half of the world's installed photovoltaic power generation capacity is in China", indicating China's leading position and important influence in the field of international photovoltaic power generation. In recent years, the Chinese government has vigorously promoted the development of the photovoltaic power generation industry, and effectively increased the installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation through various means such as policy support, investment and technological innovation. These measures have not only made China the world's largest photovoltaic power generation market, but also played a positive role in the development of the global photovoltaic industry.

So, what are the uses of photovoltaic power generation in our lives?

In terms of residential use, photovoltaic power generation can be used for photovoltaic panels on the roof or courtyard of the home to meet the electricity needs of the household by converting solar energy into electrical energy, including lighting and electrical equipment such as air conditioners and water heaters. Taking Qiantuan Village, Lucheng Town, Tongzhou District, as an example, the village is a pilot village for photovoltaic in Beijing, and photovoltaic panels can be seen everywhere on the roofs of villagers' courtyards, with a total of 907.04 kilowatts of photovoltaic built. According to the plan, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the village will also increase its photovoltaic power generation capacity by 900 kilowatts. These photovoltaic power generation facilities can be completely self-generated and self-consumed during the day, and the excess electricity can also be sold on the grid, bringing considerable economic and ecological benefits to the villagers.

In the commercial and industrial sectors, photovoltaic power generation has been widely used in buildings such as office buildings, factories, and shopping malls to provide electricity. Many commercial and industrial buildings have installed photovoltaic panels to reduce reliance on the traditional grid and reduce energy costs.

In addition, in the agricultural sector, photovoltaic power generation provides electricity for irrigation systems, greenhouses and livestock farms, among other things, helping to improve agricultural production efficiency and improve the ecological environment. In the field of charging facilities, photovoltaic power generation can also be combined with the construction of charging piles to provide clean energy charging for electric vehicles, thereby promoting the development of sustainable transportation.

In short, photovoltaic power generation has broad application prospects in life, and can provide clean and renewable energy supply for various fields. At the macro level, the photovoltaic industry, as a strategic emerging industry promoted by the state, is of great significance to optimize the energy consumption structure, alleviate the contradiction between energy supply and demand, promote energy conservation and emission reduction, and protect the ecological environment.

Overcapacity and international competition are the main challenges

Of course, we also need to see two sides of the story. The development of China's photovoltaic industry is at the international leading level, but it is also facing challenges such as overcapacity and expansion, and the continuous extension of international competition.

At present, the photovoltaic industry has considerable development potential, and the demand for products in the industrial chain is also large, and many countries are actively encouraging enterprises to develop the solar photovoltaic industry. In the medium and long term, it is necessary to take into account factors such as market consumption and supply and demand matching, and some enterprises are over-expanding production in the short term and the continuous development of new technologies and new products may make photovoltaic products have a certain degree of overcapacity in some aspects.

Although China's photovoltaic industry has high international competitiveness, it still needs to pay attention to the risk of international competition. At present, China has the world's most complete photovoltaic industry supply chain, complete industrial support, upstream and downstream linkage effect, and obvious advantages in production capacity and output, which are the cornerstone of product exports. However, some countries are also actively planning the localization of production and manufacturing and supply chain of the photovoltaic industry, and the development of new energy manufacturing has risen to the political level, and measures have been introduced to restrict imports, which has had a certain impact on the export of photovoltaic products in China.

In addition, photovoltaic core devices are developing in the direction of high efficiency, low energy consumption and low cost, and technological breakthroughs are the key to competition. At present, crystalline silicon cells are still the mainstream technology in the photovoltaic industry, and perovskite thin-film cells, which are considered to be the representative of the third generation of high-efficiency thin-film cells, are still in the laboratory stage.

In recent years, driven by China's goal of achieving carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, renewable energy such as wind and solar energy has entered a new stage of development. According to the data of "Photovoltaic Power Generation Construction and Operation in the First Three Quarters of 2023" released by the National Energy Administration, as of the end of September this year, the cumulative grid-connected capacity of photovoltaic power generation in China has reached 520 million kilowatts, becoming the second largest power source in China, second only to coal power. It can be seen that with the successive introduction of national policies and local planning, photovoltaic power generation will play an increasingly important role in China's energy structure and energy strategy in the future, and how to better seize the opportunity and respond to the challenge is an important and urgent topic.

(The author is a researcher at the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization)