CHINA SUN MARKETS OPEN UP

Growth in Building-Mount PV Applications Reveals Shift to Self-Sustained Power Generation in China; Non-Residential Building Mount Applications Now Account for More than 36% of PV Projects

August 9, 2012 (SolarBuzz)

“A sharp increase in non-residential building-mount PV applications indicates a strong growth towards self-sustained power generation in the China PV market…[Also,] the number of non-utility commercial projects being planned has surpassed the utility sector, a further indication of the growing trend towards non-utility-driven PV adoption.

“…[T]he number of non-residential building-mount applications increased to more than 400 at the end of July 2012…[and] planned projects within China’s PV pipeline exceeded 700…[G]round-mount applications are forecast to continue as the largest segment in China during 2012 with a 58% share, followed by large building-mount applications, which are growing rapidly…”

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“The Northwest region of China—including Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Shaanxi—will have 63% of the total PV project pipeline for China during 2012-2016. Systems of 1-5 MW will contribute 30% of the total project count…[T]he leading PV system developers in the Chinese market include the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI), China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP), and China Datang Corporation…[They] account for more than 5 GW of PV capacity currently in the project pipeline.

“…[T]he growing share of non-utility commercial projects will provide new opportunities for a wider range of module, inverter, and other balance-of-systems component suppliers [including for overseas PV companies]…Access to the Chinese PV market by overseas systems integrators is now more viable, which is fortunate at a time when sales pipelines in major European PV markets are at risk from policy uncertainties. However, identifying the most suitable PV projects and partners, and understanding the mechanics of the different bidding processes within China will be key…”

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