Cutting edge module tech promised on first, 3 GW slice of 10 GW Chinese solar installation

• Huanghe Hydropower Development has started work on the first phase of a huge renewable energy project which will eventually feature 10 GW of solar generation capacity along with 5 GW of wind and 1 GW of concentrating solar power. Trina will supply 600 MW of modules to the first phase of the facility.

The state-owned Huanghe Hydropower Development Co, Ltd. has named the nine solar panel manufacturers which will supply the 3,182 MW of PV generation capacity in the first phase of a mammoth, 16 GW renewable energy project which is set to include 10 GW of new solar.

Work has already started on the 64km² first phase of the project and is set to be completed by October. Trina Solar will lead the list of PV suppliers for the first stage by shipping 600 MW of its panels, according to Huanghe Hydropower chairman Xie Xiaoping, who presented details at the recent China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) annual conference in Shenzhen.

JA Solar will supply 485 MW of panels, said Xie, with Longi winning a 470 MW slice of business ahead of rivals Eging (420 MW), Solargiga (407 MW), JinkoSolar (314 MW), CPI Solar Power Xi’An (288 MW), Jolywood (150 MW) and GS-Solar (48 MW). All the panels will be bifacial products with an output of more than 400 Wp and trackers will be widely deployed, along with new technologies including TOPCon and n-type heterojunction modules as the facility has been planned as a national quality demonstration project, according to the Huanghe Hydropower chief.

Twin schemes

The sprawling generation project, when finished, is set to feature 5 GW of wind power capacity – 2 GW of which is due to be installed in the current phase of development – and 1 GW of concentrating solar power. Until last year, official news about the project stated a hydropower element but that has now been removed. The project will also feature energy storage, said Xie.

The renewables facility is one of two double-digit-gigawatt scale projects being planned by the State Power Investment Corporation Limited-owned Huanghe Hydropower in Qinghai province. The 16 GW facility is being constructed in Hainan prefecture.

Xie told the CPIA gathering the ambitious scheme was given the go-ahead by Chinese president Xi Jinping when he visited Qinghai in August.

Monocrystalline manufacturer Longi will reportedly supply the project with 445 Wp modules featuring its new M6, 166mm wafer and PERC cells.

Some 5.8 GW of Huanghe Hydropower’s 18 GW generation portfolio is comprised of solar and wind power capacity, with the balance reportedly made up mostly of hydropower facilities.