The 2021 edition of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association’s annual conference and photovoltaic innovation development summit has just taken place in Chuzhou, in the country’s Anhui Province. With LONGi one of the main organizers of the event, its chairman, Zhong Baoshen, participated in a “Photovoltaic Leaders Dialogue” panel, where he engaged in discussions with guests and experts on topics such as the industry’s development situation, the photovoltaic+ application, and technological innovation in general.
With carbon neutrality having become a global consensus, clean energy, represented by photovoltaics, is gradually playing a key role. Zhong believes that current photovoltaic power generation levels cannot be used as an independent source of energy to meet the needs of all parties, so it must be coordinated and integrated with energy storage and traditional energy in a long-term interactive process.
According to the International Energy Agency’s “World Energy Outlook”, the current cost of solar PV power generation is cheaper than that of newly built coal or gas power plants in most countries, which serves to make the “PV+” concept the most cost-effective form of energy supply. Over recent years, a variety of “PV+" models have emerged, including photovoltaic + agriculture, photovoltaic + fishery and photovoltaic + building. In this regard, Zhong put forward the view that the “PV+” model is actually an ecological issue for photovoltaics, since it needs to focus on matching with the life cycle of different fields, rather than simply being superimposed on them.
“The emergence of BIPV is the result of a deep integration between photovoltaics and buildings. BIPV makes photovoltaics an integral part of the building, consistent with the life cycle of the building itself.” Zhong’s belief is that innovation and R&D requires differentiation and leadership. It has become more important to think from a customer perspective and to make judgment calls based on a timeframe of 20 or even 30 years. Only in this way can a company create long-term value for its global clients.
At the conclusion of the conference, the CPIA issued the “Chuzhou Declaration”, calling on solar companies to embrace unity, cooperation, integration and innovation, and to interact with government and the business world to jointly drive the industry to achieve a new phase of high-quality development.