Latest news with #photovoltaics
Globe and Mail
11 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Enertis Applus+ Study: LONGi BC Modules Outperform TOPCon in LCOE, Driving Higher Commercial Value
SEVILLE, Spain , June 10, 2025 /CNW/ -- Global technical engineering consultancy Enertis Applus+ has released a comprehensive analysis of a 47MW single-axis tracker PV project in Seville, Spain , comparing the commercial performance of back-contact (BC) and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technologies. Energy Yield Assessments (EYA) were conducted based on module data provided by LONGi. The results confirm that LONGi's HPBC2.0 modules Hi-MO 9 significantly outperform TOPCon alternatives in power generation efficiency, cost control, and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), providing robust technical validation for utility-scale solar deployments worldwide. Key Findings: 3.4% Higher Energy Yield per Watt: Hi-MO 9 generated 2,209 hours of first-year operation – 2.4%-3.4% more than TOPCon equivalents, directly increasing project revenue. Cost Parity Despite Premium Pricing: With Hi-MO 9 priced just 0.7¢/W higher than TOPCon, total CAPEX remained comparable through optimized system design and cost structures. Industry-Leading LCOE Reduction: Hi-MO 9 achieved an LCOE of €0.02706/kWh – 3.92-4.47% lower than TOPCon modules. Cost advantages stem from: Reduced fixed cost allocation per unit energy via higher yield; Variable cost compression through enhanced tracker compatibility and reduced electrical losses. The study confirms BC technology's unique capacity to maximize lifetime return on investment through synergistic "efficiency gains + cost control" effects. By significantly lowering electricity production costs, Hi-MO 9 enables solar assets to compete more effectively in global energy markets while accelerating decarbonization efforts.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Enertis Applus+ Study: LONGi BC Modules Outperform TOPCon in LCOE, Driving Higher Commercial Value
SEVILLE, Spain, June 10, 2025 /CNW/ -- Global technical engineering consultancy Enertis Applus+ has released a comprehensive analysis of a 47MW single-axis tracker PV project in Seville, Spain, comparing the commercial performance of back-contact (BC) and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technologies. Energy Yield Assessments (EYA) were conducted based on module data provided by LONGi. The results confirm that LONGi's HPBC2.0 modules Hi-MO 9 significantly outperform TOPCon alternatives in power generation efficiency, cost control, and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), providing robust technical validation for utility-scale solar deployments worldwide. Key Findings: 3.4% Higher Energy Yield per Watt: Hi-MO 9 generated 2,209 hours of first-year operation – 2.4%-3.4% more than TOPCon equivalents, directly increasing project revenue. Cost Parity Despite Premium Pricing: With Hi-MO 9 priced just 0.7¢/W higher than TOPCon, total CAPEX remained comparable through optimized system design and cost structures. Industry-Leading LCOE Reduction: Hi-MO 9 achieved an LCOE of €0.02706/kWh – 3.92-4.47% lower than TOPCon modules. Cost advantages stem from: Reduced fixed cost allocation per unit energy via higher yield; Variable cost compression through enhanced tracker compatibility and reduced electrical losses. The study confirms BC technology's unique capacity to maximize lifetime return on investment through synergistic "efficiency gains + cost control" effects. By significantly lowering electricity production costs, Hi-MO 9 enables solar assets to compete more effectively in global energy markets while accelerating decarbonization efforts. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE LONGi View original content to download multimedia:
Zawya
15 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Losses, pricing reform in focus as Shanghai hosts world's largest solar conference
SHANGHAI: As the world's biggest solar energy conference kicks off in Shanghai on Tuesday, the mood is likely to be subdued as Chinese solar panel producers grapple with oversupply and price reforms. Most of the world's solar farms are powered by cells and modules made in China, but the country's top producers are facing billions of dollars in losses as breakneck competition has pushed prices below cost level. Producers are trimming back production in response, just as they also face uncertainty about the outlook for demand due to policy changes on solar power project investment. Participants at the annual SNEC PV+ Photovoltaic Power Conference and Exhibition - which runs until Friday and is expected to draw half a million people from around the world - will be watching speeches from executives at top manufacturers like Trina Solar and Longi Green Energy for what comes next. Global output of solar panels dropped 7% in May from the previous month and will fall by another 4-5% in June, according to industry research outlet Shanghai Metals Market. But that may be a drop in the ocean as production capacity in China alone has reached more than twice the level of global demand in recent years. Last year, solar manufacturing heads called for help from the Chinese government, which subsequently introduced limited measures such as voluntary investment guidelines for solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing projects in an effort to rein in overcapacity. Still, China solar module prices as of the end of May were down nearly 30% from a year earlier, according to the OPIS assessment for advanced TOPCon modules. Complicating matters is uncertainty about the demand outlook for cells and modules as Beijing is scaling back subsidies for renewable energy projects after the boom in solar and wind power installations. New solar plants commissioned after June 1 will have to sell their power into the market instead of receiving a guaranteed rate benchmarked to the price of coal. The industry is still waiting for most of China's provincial governments to explain how their power auctions will work, and whether generators will receive a price backstop, known as a contract for difference. Officials in renewables-rich Inner Mongolia decided not to offer any price guarantee for new renewables built in the province's eastern grid, according to a report from industry website citing official documents. "In my view, this is like the provincial government saying: 'We don't need any more renewables this year,'" said David Fishman, principal at Hong Kong-based the Lantau Group, an energy-focused consultancy, of the plan in a social media post on May 30. "'We don't care if anyone builds a single new wind or solar farm this year... If you still want to build, you'll have to find your own customers - don't come looking for me to derisk your project!'" (Reporting by Colleen Howe; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Reuters
20 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Losses, pricing reform in focus as Shanghai hosts world's largest solar conference
SHANGHAI, June 10 (Reuters) - As the world's biggest solar energy conference kicks off in Shanghai on Tuesday, the mood is likely to be subdued as Chinese solar panel producers grapple with oversupply and price reforms. Most of the world's solar farms are powered by cells and modules made in China, but the country's top producers are facing billions of dollars in losses as breakneck competition has pushed prices below cost level. Producers are trimming back production in response, just as they also face uncertainty about the outlook for demand due to policy changes on solar power project investment. Participants at the annual SNEC PV+ Photovoltaic Power Conference and Exhibition - which runs until Friday and is expected to draw half a million people from around the world - will be watching speeches from executives at top manufacturers like Trina Solar ( opens new tab and Longi Green Energy ( opens new tab for what comes next. Global output of solar panels dropped 7% in May from the previous month and will fall by another 4-5% in June, according to industry research outlet Shanghai Metals Market. But that may be a drop in the ocean as production capacity in China alone has reached more than twice the level of global demand in recent years. Last year, solar manufacturing heads called for help from the Chinese government, which subsequently introduced limited measures such as voluntary investment guidelines for solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing projects in an effort to rein in overcapacity. Still, China solar module prices as of the end of May were down nearly 30% from a year earlier, according to the OPIS assessment for advanced TOPCon modules. Complicating matters is uncertainty about the demand outlook for cells and modules as Beijing is scaling back subsidies for renewable energy projects after the boom in solar and wind power installations. New solar plants commissioned after June 1 will have to sell their power into the market instead of receiving a guaranteed rate benchmarked to the price of coal. The industry is still waiting for most of China's provincial governments to explain how their power auctions will work, and whether generators will receive a price backstop, known as a contract for difference. Officials in renewables-rich Inner Mongolia decided not to offer any price guarantee for new renewables built in the province's eastern grid, according to a report from industry website citing official documents. "In my view, this is like the provincial government saying: 'We don't need any more renewables this year,'" said David Fishman, principal at Hong Kong-based the Lantau Group, an energy-focused consultancy, of the plan in a social media post on May 30. "'We don't care if anyone builds a single new wind or solar farm this year... If you still want to build, you'll have to find your own customers - don't come looking for me to derisk your project!'"
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Are solar panels worth the investment? Yes — usually — but it depends where you live
Workers with Skyfire Energy install racking to mount solar panels on a home in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh MONTREAL — When she looked into installing solar panels on her roof, Heather McDiarmid came across an unexpected hitch. 'We realized we'd have to tear out the panels again a few years after we put them in because our roof was getting old and it was going to need new shingles. So we got our roof redone — but with metal shingles. That way it would last longer. And then we got our PV (photovoltaic) system,' said McDiarmid, a climate change mitigation consultant. Solar panels have never been cheaper, and the lower upfront cost means homeowners can recoup their investment more quickly, with savings on electricity bills. But experts say where buyers live plays the largest role in how long they'll need to break even. Location plays into factors ranging from how much electricity the home consumes to how much sun it receives, what incentives are available and even whether foliage obstructs the sunlight — or if roof renovations are needed. Across Canada, the average installation cost for solar panels was $3.34 per watt as of fall 2023, or $25,050 for a typical 7.5-kilowatt system, which covers most of an average household's electricity needs, according to But the price can range widely, sitting as low as $2.42 per watt in Ontario but double that in Nunavut. In Ontario, the average homeowner with a bigger installation — 10 kW — enjoys annual electricity bill savings of about $1,584 when charged at time-of-use rates, according to a report McDiarmid authored for the Ontario Clean Air Alliance last year. That means an Ontarian, drawing on a new provincial grant of up to $5,000 plus an interest-free federal Greener Homes loan, might effectively pay $25,000 for a 10 kW system. If their electricity bill comes to $100 a month — $1,200 a year — the panels would pay for themselves in 16 years. 'Many single-family home rooftops can accommodate a 10 kW solar array or more, which is enough to generate as much electricity as the home uses over a year,' McDiarmid writes. Solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity, which then flows through an 'inverter' to be used in the home, with excess electricity spilling onto the broader power grid. Savings come not just from consuming less energy from the local utility but from 'net metering,' which allows homeowners to receive credits for the extra electricity they feed back onto the grid. Banking electricity daily, monthly and often yearly is typical, said Joshua Pearce, a Western University professor specializing in solar photovoltaic technology. 'People go to their cottage during the summer, they generate a huge amount of solar power that then lasts them through the winter. They've banked that electricity,' he said. Other key questions include how much electricity your household uses — higher consumption builds a bigger case for solar — and how much that costs, with rates varying from region to region. Another factor to consider: electric heaters suck up much more electricity than gas-heated homes. 'Essentially, everywhere that breaks the 12-cents-per-kWh bar, it probably makes sense to put in solar,' said Pearce. All provinces except Quebec charge a higher rate on average, according to Also pertinent is not just where your home sits within Canada, but within the property itself. A roof that faces south soaks up more rays, while a flatter pitch further improves efficiency. 'I've got half my garage covered (with solar panels) because that's the south-facing roof, and then a third of my main roof covered, that's my southwest-facing side of the building. That's what captures the most amount of sun, so you get the most bang for your buck,' said Phil McKay, a senior director at the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. Installers can help with assessing where branches might need to be cut to absorb more light — though not all trees are yours to prune. 'I'm talking to you from the Forest City, and I love trees as much as the next guy, but not when they're partially shading my roof,' said Pearce from London, Ont., noting that many of those trunks are owned by neighbours or the city. Another key variable in solar energy production is just how sun-kissed your corner of the country is. The Prairie provinces enjoy the most hours of 'equivalent full sunlight hours' — a metric to quantify the amount of solar radiation for a given area in a year — followed by Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. British Columbia, the Yukon and Newfoundland and Labrador rank last. Cost differences to link up to the power grid also vary widely. In Ontario, for example, the Ottawa utility charged $1,449 to connect panels with its grid in 2023, while in Sudbury, the charge was only $548, according to McDiarmid. Jurisdictions offer an assortment of financial incentives. BC Hydro and Ontario give residential users rebates of up to $5,000 on grid-connected solar panels and up to $5,000 for battery storage systems. Nova Scotians can tap into rebates of up to $3,000, Prince Edward Island residents $10,000 (the program is on hold for a review, but is expected to resume in the coming months). Many municipalities have rebates for various home energy upgrades as well. A checklist to run through if you're considering rooftop solar: - Check your utility bill to tally how much you spend on electricity each year. In general, the more you shell out, the greater the possible savings from a photovoltaic system. - Check the average rate your utility charges for electricity. Again, the higher the rate, the more potential savings accrue. - Shop around for quotes from at least two or three installation firms. If their estimates on the long-term savings roughly align, those projections are probably not far off the mark. - Make sure the size of the installation matches your electricity demands. Don't splurge on a system that exceeds your needs. - Ask how efficient your system will be due to the slant of your roof and the directions it faces. - Research how much sun and snow your region receives. - Find out whether your municipality requires building and electrical permits to install solar panels. Many cities do, with the combined cost often topping $1,000. - Consider a battery for power outages to keep lights, internet, sump pumps and fridges working. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
