"With the acceleration of the global green and low-carbon energy transition, solar photovoltaic technology and smart energy systems have become crucial. Solar photovoltaics, due to its clean and infinitely renewable characteristics, combined with technological advancements, is leading the global energy transition," said Shi Yubo, Chairman of the China Energy Research Society, at the conference. As he stated, with non-renewable energy sources such as coal and oil increasingly scarce, more and more countries are developing solar energy resources to seek new drivers for economic development. Driven by the huge potential of the international photovoltaic market, solar cell manufacturers in various countries are vying to invest and expand production. According to the organizers, after more than 20 years of development in the global photovoltaic industry, this exhibition attracted more than 3,500 companies from 95 countries and regions worldwide, with international exhibitors accounting for nearly 30%.
This year, Chinese and foreign institutions showcased newly developed plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition equipment, smart factories, and other products. At their booth, Teng Fei, Chairman of NPP New Energy, told reporters that their independently developed products highlighted sodium-ion batteries, while also offering lithium-ion batteries, lead-acid batteries, and other options. Armin Aberle, Chairman of this year's Photovoltaic Frontier Technology Conference and Director of the Singapore Solar Energy Institute at the National University of Singapore, stated that there is an urgent need to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, especially solar energy. "We are gathered here to discuss the latest innovations and advancements in photovoltaic technology, contributing to its further development."
How to Avoid "Involution" in the Photovoltaic Industry
According to industry insiders such as Gao Jifan, Honorary Chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, looking to the long term, the photovoltaic industry needs to avoid "involutionary competition" and jointly build a new ecosystem for orderly development.
To this end, it is necessary to fully encourage technological innovation, strengthen intellectual property protection, and promote collaborative innovation in industry, academia, and research, as well as upstream and downstream collaborative development.
Last March, the "South China Normal University - NEP Power Green Low-Cost Sodium-Ion Battery R&D Center" was unveiled. "This initiative aims to generate original, groundbreaking, high-level research and industrial achievements, and promote solutions to key issues such as the watt-hour cost, extreme fast charging, and long-term cycle stability of sodium-ion batteries," said Teng Fei. He added that the price of sodium batteries is expected to drop to 75% to 80% of that of lithium batteries, "and is expected to further reduce costs with technological improvements." Furthermore, sodium batteries can operate normally within a temperature range of -40℃ to 50℃, indicating a broad market prospect. It is reported that Shanghai, as a key development hub for energy equipment industries such as photovoltaics and energy storage, has continuously increased investment in recent years. All parties are strengthening the linkage between upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, promoting joint efforts between government and enterprises, and using the "group export" of new energy equipment as an engine to enhance the "Shanghai brand" of photovoltaic and energy storage equipment.
"As a major photovoltaic power, China not only occupies an important position in all aspects of the industrial chain, but has also made significant breakthroughs in technology research and development, production, and market promotion," Shi Yubo cautioned. He also noted that the photovoltaic industry faces multiple challenges, including technology, policy and market conditions, environmental impact, and social responsibility.