“ Isn't this exhibition closed at five o'clock? Why is it still so crowded after two hours? ”On June 13, after the first day of the 17th (2024) International Solar Photovoltaic and Smart Energy (Shanghai) Exhibition (hereinafter referred to as SNEC Photovoltaic Exhibition) of SNEC PV+ended, the roads around the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai), where the exhibition was held, were still blocked. When we learned from the reporter that a photovoltaic exhibition was being held here, taxi driver Lao Wang suddenly realized - "Oh, photovoltaic exhibition, there should be tens of thousands of photovoltaic enterprises in China."
At present, China's photovoltaic industry is in a special period when the internal volume of the domestic market intensifies and the overseas market is caught up. On the eve of this SNEC Photovoltaic Exhibition, ST Aikang suddenly announced to withdraw from the exhibition, followed by the company's temporary shutdown of its factories, which seemed to pour cold water on the exhibition. However, the reporter saw on the first day of the exhibition that the pavilion was crowded and the practitioners were still enthusiastic.
The reporter noticed that before and after the exhibition, many photovoltaic manufacturers released their own new products. In addition to the price and products, manufacturers also rolled up their technology and services, especially some manufacturers launched battery technology and module products with higher conversion efficiency. The interviewed industry and enterprise people believe that this downturn in the photovoltaic industry will definitely pass, and the whole industry will develop in a healthier, more lasting and more sustainable direction in the future. "I think this theme will never change."
Enthusiasm of the exhibition continued
Although the photovoltaic industry has been suffering from the situation of increasing volume and decreasing price since last year, the internal volume has become more and more serious, and corporate profits have been seriously eroded; However, this year's SNEC Photovoltaic Exhibitors are still enthusiastic. Some exhibitions have further expanded their exhibition space on the basis of last year. The scene is crowded, and some leading manufacturers' booths are even crowded.
"The industry is still good, it is a developing industry, and everyone's enthusiasm for joining the photovoltaic industry has not decreased." The director of a module factory of a photovoltaic enterprise said when communicating with reporters.
It is understood that this person has participated in more than ten SNEC exhibitions in a row. Speaking of her feelings, she believes that the product technology iteration at the exhibition has been faster in the past two years, especially in the two directions of improving efficiency and reducing cost. "I think the photovoltaic industry has made a great contribution to the realization of low-carbon development in the whole society, and has great potential in the future."
A technical support staff of a leading enterprise told the reporter that he was interested in the situation of heterostructure and BC technology when attending the exhibition. "I have a reception at the booth today, and I'm going to visit other manufacturers tomorrow." It is reported that he will mainly focus on the power, conversion efficiency and other indicators of the above technical products; As for BC technology, he will also pay attention to the feedback from the market, "after all, the product will eventually be sold."
According to the person, in the discussion with peers, we can understand the corresponding electrical parameters of photovoltaic products, as well as the matching of glass, frame and other auxiliary materials, but further details will not be discussed and compared too much“
The salesperson of another manufacturer told the reporter that his company was one of the first manufacturers to choose N-type TOPCon technology in the industry. "We are one of the first enterprises to achieve mass production of N-type products. At present, N-type production capacity is also in the forefront of the industry, which can be said to be a round of late industry dividends." Talking about the current fierce market competition, This person believes that some enterprises will be eliminated in this cycle. However, because their enterprises follow the non integration route, involving only two links of batteries and components, they are relatively calm when facing industry adjustment. In contrast, silicon material and silicon chip enterprises may face greater losses.
It is worth noting that the above manufacturers have specifically distinguished between photovoltaic modules for desert and marine scenes during product exhibition. According to the reporter's observation, in this SNEC exhibition, the situation of a product that has dominated the world in the past has indeed changed, and the products oriented to customer segmentation scenes or specific needs have begun to increase and become the focus of the exhibition.
A new power photovoltaic manufacturer has exhibited a series of module products for many scenes such as desert, lake, ice and snow. "We have put forward the concept of deep customization this year. The needs of each scenario are different. We can make special customization according to the needs of customers or projects, including some accessories of frames and components, and can also provide a more cost-effective product series." The manufacturer's staff in charge of the brand told reporters.
When talking about the industry situation and the experience of this exhibition, the staff also mentioned that the industry is facing the so-called cold winter, but the prospect is bright. "For enterprises, they need to adhere to the current point of time, and launch products with their own core advantages to be more competitive in the future market competition."
Price volume technology after rolling
SNEC Photovoltaic Exhibition is still a wrestling field for photovoltaic enterprises to "show their muscles".
This year, the exhibits of Trina Solar booth continue to focus on its 210+N strategy, mainly including the supreme N-type 720W series components for ground power stations, with an efficiency of 23.2%; According to the requirements of ground power stations and industrial and commercial roof scenes in complex terrain, the high-end N-type 625W series components of "golden size" in the medium version are adopted; As well as the supreme N-type small diamond components for user scenarios.
In recent years, the trend of optical storage integration has become increasingly clear, and energy storage products are also the focus of Trina Solar's exhibition. In terms of large storage, the new generation of flexible energy storage battery cabin of Elementa King Kong 2 is equipped with 314Ah high energy density battery cells developed and produced by ourselves to achieve the balance between capacity and cost and help the system reduce costs and increase efficiency; In terms of industrial and commercial storage, POTENTIA Blue Ocean Industrial and Commercial Intelligent Energy Storage Integrated Cabinet has a cycle life of 7000+, system efficiency of 90%, and a 5-year product warranty and a 15 year calendar life.
Many manufacturers also released new products on the first day of 2024 SNEC. For example, JA Technology has launched 0BB (no main grid) efficient component product solutions. According to the company, this scheme is the inheritance and evolution of the flagship n-type component DeepBlue 4.0 Pro product line of JA Technology. It is characterized by high efficiency, high power generation, high reliability, simplicity, beauty and low-carbon manufacturing.
For the roof scenario, JA Technology also launched a single glass anti ash component based on Bycium+battery technology. It is reported that for roof photovoltaic, lightweight, high power generation, reliability and easy operation and maintenance have always been the core requirements for modules, but it has always been difficult to take into account. By using acid resistant adhesive film, low water permeable backplane and other materials, this product has greatly enhanced the reliability of moisture and heat resistance; The anti ash frame is used to solve the problem of ash deposition and eliminate the problem of power generation decline caused by dust shielding.
Longji Lvneng's new Hi-MO X6 villa module launched this time continues its strategic choice in BC technology and aims at the high-end market. According to the company, at present, there is no high-end photovoltaic module specifically for villa users in the global photovoltaic industry. Longji Hi-MO X6 villa module is the first villa specific module in the world. It solves many pain points in the villa scene, for example, in terms of aesthetics, the components are more matched with the villa roof; No grid lines on the surface to reduce glare.
It is worth noting that Longji revealed that the Hi-MO X6 villa components released this time will be priced according to square meters. The company believes that this new pricing method can enable owners to better match the component capacity and roof area. Specifically, the price of Hi MO X6 villa is 298 yuan/square meter; Hi MO X6 villa is a pleasure item, the price is 268 yuan/square meter.
At present, the PV industry is not only rolling the price, but also rolling the technology. On June 12 on the eve of the exhibition, Aixu announced that its new generation of ABC components - "full screen" components had a maximum power of 700W and a conversion efficiency of more than 25%. At present, 24% of the component conversion efficiency is still a hurdle that many enterprises are ready to cross. On this basis, Aixu has continued to improve a gear.
“ With the improvement of battery efficiency and light receiving area, Aixu's new generation of ABC module efficiency has entered a new era of 25%+. ”Xia Hengliang, deputy general manager of Aixu, said that the full screen technology will be fully applied to the full range of ABC components for industry and commerce, user use, and centralized scenarios in the fourth quarter, and the power will be increased by 20-30W, of which the power of 2382mm * 1134mm components will be increased from 655W to 680W, and 2465mm * 1134mm components will be the first to enter the 700W era. "
The prospect of the industry is still promising
On the eve of this SNEC Photovoltaic Exhibition, the subordinate factories of photovoltaic enterprises, including Aikang Technology and Leanda, have stopped production. The industry situation is worrying, but only after a round of capacity clearance can the industry start again.
"This round of industry problems is still due to overcapacity." Chen Gang, chairman of Aixu Shares, pointed out in an interview with the Securities Times · e Company and other media that this round of overcapacity is from top to bottom, with 2-3 times of excess silicon materials, 1.5-2 times of excess silicon chips, slightly better batteries, 1.3-1.5 times of excess and 2-3 times of excess components. "The inflection point is that there is no surplus in a certain link of the main industrial chain, but which link of the main industrial chain is left? We are still observing, but we haven't seen it yet."
Chen Gang suggested that government departments should strengthen guidance or exert some influence on the industry. "For example, in the construction of large-scale bases or large-scale central enterprise projects, a certain proportion of products more efficient than TOPCon will be gradually matched. For example, a large project needs 30% or 50% more efficient components, which cannot be made by the current productivity, so as to guide people to turn to new productivity. When people are accustomed to using new products, the backward productivity will be eliminated. "
Chen Gang also mentioned the situation of market expansion. He said that through a series of efforts last year, customers in Europe, Japan, South Korea and other higher value-added regions of Aixu had recognized the value of the company's products. At the same time, they changed their past homogenized, price only habits, and set prices according to the value provided by different products in their own scenarios, So as to form value sharing with users.
Talking about the consideration of overseas market layout, the head of Chint Xinneng told the reporter that the company has always been based on the global layout. At present, its business covers more than 140 countries and regions around the world. It has set up branches and sales centers in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, Canada and other countries. Its products sell well in Europe, North America, Latin America, Australia Asia Pacific region and other international mainstream markets.
"In terms of business layout, Chint New Energy mainly covers five regions, including China, Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, etc. Chint New Energy will ship about 28-30GW of components in 2023, of which about 20GW will be shipped domestically, accounting for 65%; and about 10GW will be shipped overseas, accounting for 35%."
The person in charge said that in terms of the subsequent overseas market layout, Chint Xinneng would improve the coverage of its products in different regions, including Europe, the United States, Latin America, etc. "In addition to the existing layout of mainstream markets, the company is also focusing on some emerging markets, including Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East and other regions."
"In the long run, this cycle will surely pass, and the whole industry will surely develop more healthily, more persistently, and more sustainably. I think this theme will never change." Xing Guoqiang, the chief technology officer of Tongwei PV, said in an interview with reporters that Tongwei has always pursued perfection in production and operation and unremitting pursuit of technology since it got involved in PV business in 2006, It forms the core competitiveness of the company. "Now everyone is not making much money, but I think every link of Tongwei's industrial chain should be one of the most competitive enterprises. I am also confident."
In response to e company reporter's consideration on Tongwei's technical route selection, Xing Guoqiang said that the photovoltaic industry will always be a balance between quality and cost. "Tongwei's polysilicon currently accounts for about 25% of the market share. From the perspective of production scale and operating costs, Tongwei has sufficient competitiveness. The battery business has made full use of the transformation opportunity of N-type TOPCon. By the end of the year, Tongwei will have 100GW of TOPCon capacity, and has reserved space for the transformation and upgrading of the existing PERC capacity."
Editor in charge: Peng Bo
Checked by: Liao Shengchao
