Reporter of this newspaper Guan Kejiang.
The Saudi Arabian Alshu ** photovoltaic power station built by a Chinese enterprise is the world's largest single photovoltaic power station under construction. The picture shows the staff introducing the power station. Photo by reporter Guan Kejiang.
Al Dafura PV2 PV power plant project in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Photo by Nadal Daoud.
According to the annual report recently released by the International Energy Agency, the new installed capacity of global solar PV is expected to reach 375 GW in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 318%。From the perspective of countries and regions, China's new installed solar PV capacity in 2023 is equivalent to the new global solar PV installed capacity in the previous year. Dimitrios, head of the World Bank's energy unit, believes that the development of the solar photovoltaic industry is essential to combat climate change and promote the energy transition.
The advantages of the photovoltaic industry are more prominent.
At the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last year, solar energy was one of the key points of discussion. For the first time, the COP28 agreement mentions cost reductions and technological innovations in solar, wind and energy storage technologies, affirms that their development can help achieve climate change goals, and calls on countries to transition away from fossil fuels in their energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner.
In recent years, the global photovoltaic industry has accelerated its development. Relevant statistics show that from 2019 to 2023, the average annual growth rate of global photovoltaic power generation capacity will reach 28%. Wood Mackenzie, a consultancy, said solar energy has become the most cost-effective energy source in most countries. In 2023, the global installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation has surpassed that of hydropower. In the next 10 years, the photovoltaic industry will continue to maintain a high growth rate.
Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, said that solar energy is currently the fastest-growing and most profitable renewable energy source, and solar photovoltaic technology is the most important energy transition technology to triple the global renewable energy capacity by 2030. A recent report released by the University of Exeter in the UK believes that solar energy will become the most competitive energy source in the next few years. According to **, photovoltaics will account for more than half of the world's electricity generation by 2044.
According to reports from the International Energy Agency and other agencies, there are still 67.5 billion people do not have access to electricity, about 80% of which are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. Munasinghe, former vice-chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said that sustainable development is an important challenge facing human society. Solar photovoltaic technology continues to innovate and highlight its advantages, providing options for developing countries seeking sustainable economic development, energy transition and environmental protection.
Countries are actively promoting the use of technology.
In recent years, many countries around the world have introduced various policies and measures to accelerate the pace of energy transition and actively develop the solar photovoltaic industry.
The countries of the Middle East are rich in solar energy resources. The UAE has set a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In November 2023, the PV2 photovoltaic power station project in Erdafra, UAE will be connected to the grid for power generation. The power plant will meet the electricity needs of 200,000 households, reduce carbon emissions by 2.4 million tons per year, and increase the share of clean energy in the UAE's energy mix to more than 13%. In its Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia proposes to reach 40 GW of installed photovoltaic capacity by 2030 and will invest 380 billion riyals (1 riyale is about 1.) in renewable energy projects91 RMB). Qatar has proposed that solar power will account for 20% of electricity by 2030. In November 2022, Qatar's first photovoltaic power plant, the Alcazar power station, was officially put into operation, which can meet 10% of Qatar's peak electricity demand. David Ramos, head of HSBC's sustainability department in the Middle East, said that the development of renewable energy represented by solar energy in Middle Eastern countries has broad prospects.
According to the African Solar Energy Industry Association's 2023 Outlook Report released last year, the region's PV industry is accelerating. South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and other countries are leading the way in photovoltaic construction projects. For example, Egypt's Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy 2035 proposes that the installed capacity of renewable energy will reach 61 GW by 2035, of which 43 GW will be installed in photovoltaic power. At the same time, more regional countries such as Cape Verde, Botswana, and Eritrea are increasing investment in the photovoltaic industry and starting to build and operate large-scale photovoltaic projects.
In recent years, the EU photovoltaic industry has also achieved rapid growth. According to a report released by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, the new installed capacity of PV in the EU is expected to reach 56 GW in 2023, maintaining an annual growth rate of more than 40% for the third consecutive year; PV capacity** is expected to double to an expected 484 GW by 2026.
According to the report of the University of Exeter, the rapid growth of the global photovoltaic industry is mainly due to two factors. On the one hand, relevant countries have successively introduced policies and measures to support the photovoltaic industry, and on the other hand, photovoltaic modules have declined sharply. From 2010 to 2022, the average weighted cost of solar power worldwide decreased by 89% to 0049 USD kWh, almost 1 3 less than the cheapest fossil fuels.
According to a recent feature article published by the World Bank, by 2030, photovoltaic microgrids could be 3800 million people have uninterrupted access to electricity. However, the current global grid infrastructure investment is still seriously underinvested. Countries need to put in place appropriate policy measures to promote financial inclusion and encourage private investment. The international community needs to step up efforts to support developing countries in building energy infrastructure and promoting the transformation of energy structure.
China contributes to global green development.
The Francisco Pizarro Solar Power Plant, located in the autonomous region of Extremadura, Spain, was commissioned in 2022 and is one of the largest photovoltaic power plants in operation in Europe, with all solar panels from China. In Garissa County, Kenya, the Garissa photovoltaic power station built by a Chinese company has effectively solved the problem of local electricity shortage and continued to provide clean electricity ...... for the local people
In recent years, Bank of China has participated in the Al Dafra PV2 PV power plant project in the United Arab Emirates, the 300 MW PV project in Sakaqa in Saudi Arabia, and successfully issued a US$500 million green bond on the Belt and Road Initiative last year. Pan Xinyuan, President of Bank of China Dubai Branch, said that China, as the world's largest producer of photovoltaic modules, has a leading edge in the construction of photovoltaic projects. As a "bridge" between production capacity and demand, Chinese banks can play an active role in promoting the global energy transition.
Fatih Birol, director of the International Energy Agency, said that China has made remarkable achievements in the development of clean energy and electric vehicle industries such as solar and wind energy, and "is a champion in the field of clean energy". Sultan Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of COP28, said that China's continuous leadership in clean energy technology is an important factor in helping to achieve global energy transition, combat climate change and promote development.
Xiao Jinyu, vice president of the Economic and Technical Research Institute of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization, said in an interview with this reporter that China has accelerated the development of renewable energy to the level of ensuring national energy security and strengthening the construction of ecological civilization, and has achieved leapfrog development in a short period of time. Thanks to China's strong development of renewable energy, the global cost of solar power generation has been reduced by nearly 90% and the cost of wind power by 80% in recent years.
Ahmed Mohamed Masina, Deputy Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt, said that China's plan is of great significance to the global energy transition and climate governance, and provides feasible solutions for African and Arab countries to promote energy transition, promote economic development and improve the ecological environment. Eric Solheim, Vice Chairman of the Belt and Road Green Development Coalition and former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that China has made great contributions to the development of global renewable energy, and has also brought innovation drivers to the economic development and green and low-carbon transformation of developing countries.
People** 2024-01-31 15th edition).