• September 01, 2023

Suzhou, China - FOTOVO, a prominent Chinese energy storage manufacturer, took center stage at the recently concluded second China International Energy Storage Exhibition (CIESE 2023) held in Suzhou. As a leading player in the industry, FOTOVO showcased its latest innovations, demonstrating its commitment to providing advanced and efficient energy storage solutions. The three-day exhibition provided an excellent platform for FOTOVO to bolster its brand reputation, foster collaborations, and connect with industry stakeholders from around the globe. At FOTOVO's exhibition booth, visitors were presented with a comprehensive display of cutting-edge energy storage technologies. The company's flagship product, the FOTOVO Energy+ Series, garnered significant attention from industry professionals, experts, and potential clients. One of the key highlights of FOTOVO's showcase was the unveiling of their latest advancements in battery technology. FOTOVO's proprietary battery solutions featured exceptional energy density, extended cycle life, and enhanced safety features. Moreover, FOTOVO highlighted its strong commitment to sustainable development and environmental responsibility. The company emphasized the importance of resource sustainability and presented their initiatives in battery material recycling and production optimization. Through these efforts, FOTOVO aims to minimize the environmental impact of battery manufacturing and contribute to a greener and more sustainable energy ecosystem. FOTOVO's participation in the second China International Energy Storage Exhibition reinforced its position as a leading player in the Chinese energy storage market. With its innovative solutions, dedication to sustainability, and commitment to customer satisfaction, FOTOVO continues to be at the forefront of the energy storage revolution, playing a significant role in shaping a cleaner and more sustainable future. For more information about FOTOVO and its advanced energy storage solutions, please visit www.fotovo.com.

• August 18, 2023

What is the potential of Nigeria's photovoltaic market? According to a recent study, the photovoltaic (PV) market in Nigeria holds significant potential for growth and development. Currently, Nigeria's installed capacity of fossil fuel and hydroelectric power facilities is only 4 GW, which is far from sufficient to provide electricity to its population of 200 million. It is estimated that the country would need to install around 30 GW of additional power generation facilities to meet the electricity demand of its population. As the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Nigeria had a meager PV system capacity of only 33 MW connected to the grid by the end of 2021. Despite the abundance of solar radiation in Nigeria, ranging from 1.5 MWh/m² to 2.2 MWh/m², why does the country still face energy poverty? One key factor is that currently, 70% of Nigeria's electricity is generated from fossil fuel power plants, with the remaining electricity primarily coming from hydroelectric facilities. The power sector in the country is dominated by five major generation companies, with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) being the sole transmission company responsible for network development, maintenance, and expansion. The distribution companies in Nigeria have been fully privatized, with the power produced by generation companies sold to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), the country's sole bulk electricity trader. Distribution companies purchase electricity from generation companies through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and sell it to consumers under contracted arrangements. While this structure ensures generation companies a guaranteed power price regardless of any circumstances, it poses fundamental challenges that also affect the adoption of PV generation as part of Nigeria's energy mix. Profitability concerns Profitability concerns have emerged as a significant obstacle to the integration of renewable energy projects. Nigeria initiated discussions on grid-connected renewable energy facilities around 2005 when it introduced the "Vision 30:30:30" initiative. The plan aimed to achieve an installed capacity of 32 GW by 2030, with 9 GW coming from renewable energy sources, including 5 GW from solar systems. More than a decade later, 14 independent PV power producers finally signed power purchase agreements with NBET. The Nigerian government subsequently introduced feed-in tariffs (FIT) to make PV generation more attractive to investors. However, due to policy uncertainty and a lack of grid infrastructure, these initial PV projects failed to secure financing. One crucial issue was the government's alteration of previously established tariffs, citing the decline in PV component costs as a reason for reducing FIT. Among the 14 PV independent power producers in the country, only two companies accepted the reduced FITs, while the rest deemed them too low to be acceptable. NBET also requires partial risk guarantees as part of a...

• July 31, 2023

Rooftop Solar Tops Summer Chart for Renewable Energy Supply to the Grid Rooftop solar provided 14 per cent of Australia’s electricity needs this summer and dispatched more energy to the grid than brown coal and all other renewable sources, including grid-scale wind farms and solar farms. The Clean Energy Council shared the summer statistics, and highlighted the total output for rooftop solar across summer 2023 was 8046GWh – up by 19.5 per cent compared to summer 2022. Energy bills have risen by between 15 and 20 per cent since mid-2022 sparking a surge in small-scale solar installations. More than three million homes and businesses now keep costs down using rooftop solar. Rising power prices are reducing the projected time for newly installed systems to pay for themselves. A state-by-state analysis of the summer performance tells another tale, with South Australia leading the way in rooftop solar but New South Wales being the most improved of all the states. The Clean Energy Council has also produced a list of Australia’s top postcodes for rooftop solar, state by state. In New South Wales, Lismore topped the rankings; in Queensland, the Bundaberg region led rooftop solar; in South Australia, it was Salisbury; in Victoria, it was Hoppers Crossing; in Tasmania, Blackstone Heights and in Western Australia, Mandurah. Clean Energy Council Chief Executive, Kane Thornton, said the solar achievement was especially noteworthy, given there had been less sunshine than in an average year. “There is no doubt with inflation and cost of living pressures, people are turning to rooftop solar in record numbers,” Mr Thornton said. “Thousands of Australians are switching to rooftop solar and seeing their benefits to their hip pockets and the environment. In fact, payback periods for rooftop solar are now at near record-low levels, at 3.4 years for a 7kW system. “We’re seeing a fundamental shift; consumers are becoming energy generators, making their own clean energy, reducing their bills and taking on the electricity companies.” Mr Thornton said the figures measure only what enters the grid. “Even more clean, low-cost generation was produced and used by households themselves, taking pressure off our strained system,” Mr Thornton said.

• July 14, 2023

The United States added 20.2 GW of new solar capacity in 2022, a 16% decrease from 2021. This was likely attributed to an investigation into new anti-circumvention tariffs by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, as well as equipment detainments by Customs and Border Protection under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. According to the “U.S. Solar Market Insight 2022 Year in Review” released today by SEIA and Wood Mackenzie, utility-scale installations fell by 31% year-over-year to 11.8 GW, the sector’s lowest total since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Commercial and community solar installations also fell by 6% and 16%, respectively. Backlogs for connecting new solar projects to the electric grid continue to limit deployment in each market segment. Projections for this and next year show a broad market recovery with growth across all sectors averaging 19% per year until 2027. “Companies are aggressively shifting their supply chains, helping to ensure that solar installed in the U.S. is ethically sourced and has no connection to forced labor,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “While the solar and storage industry acts swiftly on supply chains and building a stronger domestic manufacturing base, ongoing threats of steep tariffs are holding back the potential of the historic Inflation Reduction Act.” The report features updated 10-year baseline forecasts, along with high and low deployment scenarios based on solar module supply and domestic manufacturing, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) guidance and sector-specific factors such as labor availability, tax equity supply and interconnection timelines. The total difference between the high- and low-case outcomes amounts to 40 GW of new solar deployment in the next five years. In the base case, the United States is expected to add over 570 GW of new solar capacity in the next decade, bringing installed solar capacity from 141 GW today to over 700 GW in 2033. “While 2022 was a tough year for the solar industry, we do expect some of the supply chain issues to ease, propelling 2023 growth to 41%,” said Michelle Davis, principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report. “With major uncertainties ahead of the industry, our high- and low-case scenarios can help the industry benchmark potential outcomes. In each scenario, there is roughly 20 GW of upside or downside risk over the next five years — the same amount of capacity installed last year.” The residential solar market experienced a 40% increase in installed solar capacity in 2022, and now 6% of all homes in the United States have solar. By 2030, that number is expected to grow to 15%. In 2022, 783 MW of new residential, commercial and community solar capacity deployed was paired with energy storage systems, a new record. By 2027, 33% of new residential solar capacity and 20% of new commercial and community solar capacity will be paired with storage. California, Texas, and Florida were the Top 3 states for new solar capacity additio...

• June 28, 2023

Japan's photovoltaic industry may usher in a period of opportunity Izumi Kaizuka, director of research at RTS, a Japanese photovoltaic consultancy, said recently that the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems installed in Japan in 2022 will be the same as in 2021, which is regarded as a positive signal because it indicates that the Japanese photovoltaic market is shifting to new business models. . As Japan gradually abandons feed-in tariffs, the photovoltaic industry is introducing new business models. This includes developing projects that sell PV directly to businesses through off-site power purchase agreements. It is estimated that the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems in Japan will reach 6.5GW in 2022, supported by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment's feed-in tariff (FIT) and feed-in premium (FIP) programs, which expire in early 2022. This installed capacity is the same as that in 2021. The installed capacity of photovoltaic systems was flat. The Japanese PV market is currently in a transition period as power purchase agreements (PPAs) for selling clean energy to corporate consumers and electricity suppliers become a new approach for renewable energy developers to develop PV systems. It is estimated that by fiscal year 2030, the share of photovoltaic power generation will account for 14% to 16% of Japan's total power generation. By 2030, the cumulative installed capacity of photovoltaic systems will be about 117.6GW. 36% to 38% of power generation. And some municipalities across Japan are setting their own renewable energy targets, actively allocating clean energy deployment sites, installing photovoltaic systems on public buildings, and providing subsidies. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, and the Japan New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization are installing photovoltaic demonstration projects. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) also showcased a solar-plus-storage project for grid balancing. emerging trends While the majority of PV systems installed in Japan are supported by feed-in tariff (FIT) schemes, new business models and services have been introduced. The utility is operating a third-party ownership model that installs photovoltaic systems and storage systems in homes with no upfront costs. And local efforts to promote net-zero energy housing are also making progress. Some developers are installing photovoltaic systems on the roofs of factories and logistics facilities under the signed power purchase agreement (PPA) business model for commercial customers and public institutions. Companies driven by environmental, social and corporate governance policies, often members of the international RE100 clean energy initiative, are promoting the deployment of off-site power purchase agreement (PPA)-backed renewable energy generation facilities. With the rise of photovoltaic plants backed by power purchase agreemen...

• March 01, 2022

This will particularly benefit the solar and biomass sector, Fitch Solutions reported. The looming power supply shortage in Thailand could have upside risks for non-hydropower renewable energy sources, Fitch Solutions reported. Thailand is currently facing power supply issues as domestic gas production and piped gas imports from Myanmar decline amidst growing demand. “We highlight the solar and biomass sectors to benefit from this the most as Thailand has a readily available supply of power resources for these power types,” the report read in part. Fitch noted the market is already capitalising on its reservoirs and dammed water bodies for floating solar PV installations. There is also a noticeable interest for rooftop solar amongst companies. Meanwhile, Thailand’s agricultural activities are expected to supply the fuel feedstock for biomass power generation. “Thailand is also diversifying its electricity supply by relying on electricity imports generated from hydropower plants in Laos, with EGAT planning to increase electricity import capacity from Laos by 1.2GW through new hydropower projects,” Fitch added.

• February 16, 2023

The material class of halide perovskites is seen as a great hope for even more solar power at even lower costs. The materials are very cheap, can be processed into thin films with minimal energy input and achieve already efficiencies that are significantly higher than those of conventional silicon solar cells.   The Goal: 20 Years Outdoor Stability However, solar modules are expected to provide stable output for at least 20 years in outdoor conditions while exposed to large temperature fluctuations. Silicon PV manages this easily, whereas the semi-organic perovskites lose performance rather fast. "Sunlight can heat up the inside of a PV cell to 80 Celsius; in the dark, the cell then cools down immediately to the outside temperature. This triggers large mechanical stresses in the thin layer of perovskite microcrystals, creating defects and even local phase transitions, so that the thin film loses its quality," explains Prof. Antonio Abate, who heads a large group at HZB. Chemical Variations examined Together with his team and a number of international partners, he has investigated a chemical variation that significantly improves the stability of the perovskite thin film in different solar cell architectures, among them the p-i-n architecture, which normally is a little less efficient than the more often used n-i-p architecture. A "Soft Shell" against Stress "We optimized the device structure and process parameters, building upon previous results, and finally could achieve a decisive improvement with b-poly(1,1-difluoroethylene) or b-pV2F for short," says Guixiang Li, who is doing his PhD supervised by Prof. Abate. b-pV2F molecules resemble a zigzag chain occupied by alternating dipoles. "This polymer seems to wrap around the individual perovskite microcrystals in the thin film like a soft shell, creating a kind of cushion against thermomechanical stress," Abate explains. Record Efficiency for p-i-n Architecture 24.6% In fact, scanning electron microscope images show that in the cells with b-pV2F, the tiny granules nestle a little closer. "In addition, the dipole chain of b-pV2F improves the transport of charge carriers and thus increases the efficiency of the cell," says Abate. Indeed they produced cells on a laboratory scale with efficiencies of up to 24.6%, which is a record for the p-i-n architecture. One Year Outdoor Use The newly produced solar cells were subjected over a hundred cycles between +80 Celsius and -60 Celsius and 1000 hours of continuous 1-sun equivalent illumination. That corresponds to about one year of outdoor use. "Even under these extreme stresses, they still achieved 96 % efficiency in the end," Abate emphasises. That is already in the right order of magnitude. If it is now feasible to reduce the losses a little further, perovskite solar modules could still produce most of their original output after 20 years -- this goal is now coming within reach.  

• February 13, 2023

Helping South Africa survive the energy crisis According to CCTV news on February 10, on the evening of February 9 local time, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his annual State of the Union address in Cape Town and declared a state of disaster across South Africa to deal with the power crisis and its impact. The South African government has published a state of disaster declaration, effective immediately. According to Xinhua News Agency, when Ramaphosa delivered the 2023 State of the Union Address at the Cape Town City Hall that night, he said that the National Disaster Management Center has determined the energy crisis and its impact as a disaster. In a state of national disaster, he said, it would be able to provide tangible measures to support businesses in food production, storage and retail supply chains, and to save critical infrastructure such as hospitals from power outages. Ramaphosa said he would appoint an electricity minister with full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of efforts to tackle the power crisis. "At this time, South Africa's most urgent task is to significantly reduce the duration of power outages in the coming months and work towards an eventual end to power outages." The BRICS allies, which represent the world's five largest emerging economies, said they would prioritize strengthening plans for a post-COVID-19 economic recovery and a just energy transition at this year's summit in South Africa later this year. As a leading country in new energy, China is committed to developing and building cleaner energy. Our company also responded to the call and has been engaged in solar energy industry for many years. Our company is committed to the production of solar modules and power generation systems, and has been sold to more than 200 countries around the world. We can provide professional solar power generation system equipment, including solar panels, solar inverters and （lithium） batteries. We believe that solar energy is the best solution to this energy crisis.