Zhao s company that installed photovoltaic panels

Are offshore photovoltaics the future of China's solar industry?

Offshore photovoltaics have been an important part of the national plan in China, the world's largest solar market, since 2022, although the industry is still exploring potential technologies, policy designs and procedures, said the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research of Beijing Institute of Technology.

Where are solar panels made?

Keith Bradsher, who has covered China’s solar industry since 2009, reported from Changsha, China. Over the past 15 years, China has come to dominate the global market for solar energy. Nearly every solar panel on the planet is made by a Chinese company. Even the equipment to manufacture solar panels is made almost entirely in China.

Is China's solar panel industry in upheaval?

The country’s solar panel exports, measured by how much power they can produce, jumped another 10 percent in May over last year. But China’s solar panel domestic industry is in upheaval. Wholesale prices plummeted by almost half last year and have fallen another 25 percent this year.

Where are offshore photovoltaic projects based?

Apart from China, most offshore photovoltaic activities are in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where firms are strong in offshore expertise. Dutch company Oceans of Energy has operated a 500-kW offshore solar farm in the North Sea since 2020, which floats on a raft combining rigid and flexible structures that allow it to ride on the waves.

How big is China's energy potential for offshore photovoltaics?

According to Zhang Jun, head of the product technology department at JA Solar, China has about 18,000 kilometers of mainland coastline, presenting a potential installed capacity of over 100 gigawatts for offshore photovoltaics. With the global coastline exceeding one million kilometers, the energy potential is even more significant.

What happened to solar panels in China?

Solar companies cut costs and prices sharply to maintain market share. That led to a few low-cost survivors while many other competitors were driven out of business in China and around the world. The deserted blue-walled factory of Hunan Sunzone, left, which once made solar panels in Changsha, China.