top runner

A Chinese government policy that resulted in hundreds of megawatts of floating PV projects deployed on flooded coal mines could be replicated elsewhere, according to Sungrow.

Leading integrated high-efficiency monocrystalline module manufacturer and ‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member LONGi Green Energy Technology has won a bid to build a ‘Top Runner’ PV power plant of 250MW with partner, Three Gorges New Energy in Yijun County, Tongchuan City, China.

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Trina Solar and building materials and PV systems developer China Singyes Solar Technologies Holdings have jointly secured a bid to build a 250MW ‘Top Runner’ PV power plant project in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, China.

According to analysis by Taiwan-based market research firm, EnergyTrend, around 67% of Top Runner program bids in 2017 were won with P-type mono PERC modules and it expects an increasing percentage of project bids in 2018 will be securde by using P-type mono PERC bifacial modules.

At the beginning of 2017, the big question regarding solar in China was whether they could repeat the stunning ~35GW performance of 2016. Yet, over the course of the year, the question transformed, quite surreally, to whether China would hit the 50GW mark in 2017, writes Apricum's Meishi Tan.

Market research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance has followed the lead set by China trade bodies and significantly raised its solar installation forecast for China in 2017.

China-based PV module manufacturer Risen Energy said that its latest module technology using multicrystalline half-cut cells with peak power output of 340-345W (72-cell), have achieved ‘Top Runner’ first-class certification by the China Quality Certification Centre (CQC) and shipments to projects have started.

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member and the largest integrated monocrystalline manufacturer LONGi Green Energy Technology said its subsidiary, LONGi Solar would ramp volume production of its PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) technology by the end of 2017.

According to independent solar industry advisory firm AECEA, China has already exceeded its 13th Five-Year-Plan (2016-2020) target of 105GW by installing around 10.52GW of solar in July, after record first half 2017 installations of 24.4GW.

China is likely to commission more high-quality, large-scale solar plants in 2017 than standard ones, according to an analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).