In the fourth quarter of 2018, JinkoSolar broke its own record for quarterly module shipments, sending out 3.6 GW, a 22.5% increase on the previous quarter. This closed out a year where the manufacturer shipped a total of 11.4 GW of modules — including 209 MW shipped to its own downstream projects — a 16% increase over the 9.8 GW shipped in 2017. Despite the increase in shipments, Jinko’s revenue for the full year fell by 5.4%, coming in at $3.64 billion — a sign of the times in a year where module prices fell by around 30%. Jinko says that its global reach was key to weathering the storm caused by China’s 31/5 policy shift. “While the Chinese market was impacted by the policies released on May 31, we were able to continue growing through our diversified global distribution network and further consolidate our leading position in terms of market share,” commented JinkoSolar CEO Kangping Chen. And the company expects to almost double its shipment growth this year. It has posted guidance for first quarter shipments in 2019 to fall slightly over the previous quarter to between 2.8 and 3 GW, but full-year shipments are forecast at 14 to 15 GW, which would represent around a 30% increase over 2018’s full-year figure. Behind this prediction is a belief that growth will return to China in 2019, as the country shifts its policy from feed-in tariffs to a bidding system for utility-scale projects, and finds a solution to the problem of delayed payments. “The new policies set a clear direction for the country’s solar plans and will help to greatly improve sentiment for the solar sector as the country tries to smoothly transition towards grid parity and encourage a more market-driven environment,” continued Chen. “Based on the new policies, we believe domestic installations in 2019 will exceed last year. Distributed generation projects and projects completed at grid parity will continue to make up a larger portion of overall installations.” Elsewhere, JinkoSolar has high expectations for the U.S. market this year, and says that its new factory in Jacksonville, Florida, will reach its full production capacity in the second quarter. And with the minimum import price gone and forgotten, Europe will again be a key target for Jinko’s products. Cost optimization On the technology side, Jinko says it will expand its monocrystalline wafer production this year and continue to reduce its manufacturing costs at this level through optimizing its use of large-scale crystalline furnaces and reducing diamond wire consumption in cutting. The company is also planning to convert its existing non-PERC capacity to produce PERC products this year, alongside significant capacity expansions. At the end of 2018, the company’s production capacity stood at 9.7 GW for silicon wafers, 7 GW for cells and 10.8 GW for modules. By the end of 2019, it says it expects these to reach 15 GW for wafers, 11 GW of which would be monocrystalline, 10 GW for cells, 9.2 GW of which will be PERC, ...

Although located at different latitudes and on different continents, Cambodia and Lithuania now share the distinction of joining the list of nations that have embraced reservoir-based floating PV. Singapore-based renewables company Cleantech Solar has announced the completion of a 9.8 MW solar installation that includes 2.8 MW of floating PV and will power Cambodian cement manufacturer Chip Mong Insee Cement Corporation (CMIC). The solar facility, Cleantech said, includes a 7 MW rooftop with the floating section on CMIC’s water reservoir. The project was designed and financed by Cleantech and will sell power to the cement provider under undisclosed terms. “The plant will help CMIC reduce operating costs without having to make [a] capital investment, nor having to take the performance risk of [a] solar system,” the developer said. “In addition, the deployment of the floating solar system will shield the reservoir from wind and the direct, hot midday sun, which is expected to reduce water loss through evaporation, contributing to CMIC’s water conservation efforts.” Cambodia’s solar push The reservoir section of the project is Cambodia’s first megawatt-sized floating PV installation. The country has so far seen limited development of solar power with a 10 MW solar park connected to its power network, although a 100 MW project is currently being tendered. In October, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) urged the Cambodian government to use solar to drive down electricity prices which are among the highest in Southeast Asia. “The government is on the verge of committing to an expansion of its hydropower program and coal plants, and this will limit the scope for solar development and potentially lead to additional social and environmental consequences,” the UNDP said at the time. Last month, the Cambodian government issued new rules for the adoption of solar. The policy enables the installation of solar plants for self-consumption as long as they do not require grid connection and synchronization. The provisions also establish only medium and high voltage energy users are permitted to consume electricity generated on site and also be synchronized with the grid. Up to 250 MW of waterborne capacity In a separate development, the Lietuvos Energija Gamyba (LEG) unit of state-owned Lithuanian utility Lietuvos Energija Group, announced the Lithuanian Business Support Agency has provided additional funding of €235,000 for its planned floating PV project at the Kruonis pumped storage hydroelectric power plant it owns. The project, being developed with the Kaunas University of Technology, will be the first of its kind in Lithuania, LEG said in a press release. The floating solar plant will initially have a capacity of 60 kW but may expand to 250 MW as the water surface identified by LEG for it runs to around 300 hectares. “The successful implementation of such [an] innovation would create greater value for Lietuvos Energija Gamyba shareholders an...

New solar installations in the European Union reached around 8 GW last year, marking a 36% increase on 2017, when the bloc installed 5.9 GW. The wider continent, including Turkey and Russia, also increased the rate of installation, to hit 11 GW, up 20% from the 9.2 GW recorded a year earlier, according to a statement by trade association Solarpower Europe. “It is good to see Europe fully embracing solar again,” said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of the body. “With solar being the most popular energy source among EU citizens, the most versatile and often also the lowest-cost power generation source, and with cost reductions continuing, we are only at the beginning of a long upward trend for solar in Europe.” According to the association’s policy director, Aurélie Beauvais, the upwards trend is the result of the EU’s 2020 renewable energy targets. She also lauded Clean Energy Package legislation as a policy framework which can set the stage for significant solar growth. Removing the minimum import tariff applied to Chinese solar panels also helped reduce the cost of solar, making it the solution of choice for member states to meet national climate and energy plans, said Beauvais. Germany and Spain will jostle for dominance Last year, Germany was the biggest market in Europe, with 2.96 GW of new solar installed, an annual increase of 68%. Turkey ranked second, with 1.64 GW, after 2.59 GW in 2017, but new tenders have been postponed. Companies participating in the latest 1 GW procurement have asked to postpone the exercise against the backdrop of a severe currency devaluation which puts financing at risk. The Netherlands has warmed to the notion of renewables after an EU report said Dutch clean energy lagged its peers in 2017. Last year, the Netherlands joined the ‘gigawatt club’ with around 1.4 GW of new solar – annual growth of almost 100%. PV made up 72% of the autumn round of the country’s SDE+ renewable energy stimulation program – for around 3.7 GW of capacity. The European market is bound for bigger growth this year as the wave of subsidy free projects washing southern Iberia – helped by low equipment prices – is expected to lift Spain into the driving seat of Europe’s solar market. France has also recently committed to a more ambitious renewable energy development plan, and forecasts almost 3 GW per year for the next six years. Analysts at IHS Markit have just released a report in which they estimate the European market will grow to 18 GW of installations this year.

Before installing solar panel racking system on your roof, you need to considering the things. 1. Utilization area: Firstly, determine how much available area the roof has. Because the available area directly determines the installed capacity of the photovoltaic system. Secondly, the orientation of the roof. The roof is best to face south. Because we are in the northern hemisphere, when facing south, the power generation is the highest. It can also be a little bit east or west, generally within a few degrees or about 10 degrees. 2. Shading: Shading is very critical to the solar power generation system. Shading includes the occlusion of buildings, and whether there are tall trees around the buildings that affect day lighting 3. Waterproof: To judge the waterproof condition of the roof is to see whether the roof has a very good waterproof layer. If the building does not have a good waterproof system, the roof may not be able to meet the function of the roof during its life cycle. 4. Load-bearing: the photovoltaic system must be built on the roof. If the roof's carrying capacity cannot meet the photovoltaic construction, this project will not be established. CORIGY SOLAR more professional and flexible solar mounting solutions waiting for you here! CONTACT US! Above news from CORIGY SOLAR Sales & Marketing department Phone: +0086-592-6883200 E-mail: sales@corigy.com