Exclusive Interview: TBEA Xi'an Electric Technology Co., Ltd.

Polaris Solar PV News: Polaris Solar PV Network: This time participating in the show mainly released two new products. Please briefly introduce the two new products!

Shao Shaohua: We have announced 1MW box-type photovoltaic grid-connected inverter stations and 1.25MW photovoltaic grid-connected inverters at the exhibition this time.

The 1MW box-type grid-connected photovoltaic grid-connected inverter station integrates the AC/DC power distribution, inverter, and monitoring communication equipment required for the photovoltaic grid-connected power generation system in a special sealed box to complete the grid-connected control of the photovoltaic power generation system. Data acquisition and remote transmission capabilities. Compared with traditional on-site inverter-built inverter rooms, the 1MW box-type photovoltaic inverter station features low cost, high integration, simple installation and commissioning, and beautiful appearance. The internal layout adopts a mirror-like structure design, and advanced external wiring is adopted, making the internal layout of the engine room neat and reasonable, facilitating the inspection and maintenance of operators. The unique design of windbreak prevention, earthquake protection, fire prevention, and rain protection is especially applicable to large-scale photovoltaic grid-connected systems in the complex environments of desert, beach, high altitude, and severe cold.

The 1.25MW photovoltaic grid-connected inverter is an important research result obtained in the research of the national 863 major project "Research and Design of Key Technologies for the Design and Integration of 100MW Photovoltaic System". The 1.25MW centralized inverter is the largest photovoltaic grid-connected inverter with the largest single capacity in China, and adopts a number of international patented technologies to solve the common problems of the centralized photovoltaic grid-connected inverter and ensure the full-power segment connection to the grid. The total harmonic content THD < 3%, the maximum efficiency of up to 98.8%. In terms of cabinet structure design, it is the first centralized high-power photovoltaic grid-connected inverter that realizes the maintenance and design of the former, and the installation space is reduced by 40%. The control system adopts a standard 6U subrack design, and is rich in function boards. Satisfy the customer's different expansion needs. Inverters are at the leading level in the industry in terms of safety, stability, and output efficiency. They represent the latest technologies and cutting-edge concepts for the development of photovoltaic inverters at the same time, and are the latest technology trends in similar products at home and abroad. It also represents the "standard new product" of mainstream technology applications. Its appearance at the same time indicates that China has entered a new stage in photovoltaic grid-connected inverter technology.

Polaris Solar Photovoltaic Network: Is this integrated room capable of remote control? Just read the introduction and said that it can be monitored in different places.

Shao Shaohua: Yes, we have a monitoring unit inside the integrated equipment room, which can upload various operational data of PV power plant components, combiner boxes, distribution cabinets, inverters, etc. to the centralized monitoring room through the communication interface, and support remote Dispatch, can adjust the operation data of the photovoltaic power station in the control room, at the same time can also transmit the video information in the engine room to the monitoring room remotely, and can realize unattended on-site.

Polaris Solar PV Network: Is the product currently in use now?

Yan Shaohua: It has been put into use. Up to now, there are nearly 20 MW of application performance, mainly in Qinghai, Shandong, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, and other places, in high altitude, low temperature, high humidity and other harsh environments have been verified.

Polaris Solar Photovoltaic Network: What are the positive aspects of economic or efficiency for this power plant investor?

Yan Shaohua: It can firstly reduce the cost of building a station from an economic point of view. First of all, it is an integrated design, which is smaller than the area of ​​the inverter room with a brick-concrete structure. The 1MW solution can be reduced by 15% compared with the traditional way. The second is that our construction period will be greatly shortened, from the past one month to 1 day, and the site does not need to install, shorten the commissioning time. In terms of indoor environment, the product adopts integrated decoration and completely achieves a dust-free environment. The cleanliness is higher than traditional methods, prolonging the service life of internal distribution cabinets and inverters.

Polaris Solar PV Network: What is the unique R&D capability of Nat.

Shao Shaohua: In the field of new energy, TBEA, as the earliest enterprise to enter the domestic new energy industry, began with the establishment of a new energy company in 2000, which focused on new energy application technology research, product development, and utilization. According to the needs of the market at that time, we needed to develop a small system and an off-grid charge and discharge controller to improve electricity use in areas without electricity. We successfully implemented the “Light Project of Xinjiang Silk Road”, “Power Transmission to Township Project” and “Qinghai-Tibet Railway” in the Netherlands. "Residential solar power and communications power projects", "Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Zhufeng area communications security project" and other domestic off-grid systems in the representative project, and supported by the people of all ethnic groups in remote areas and the kindness of the state leaders Interview.

After 2008, with the changes in domestic and international market demands and policy-oriented changes, the distributed grid-connected system is gradually taking the lead. TBEA actively adjusted its development strategy to develop large-scale grid-connected inverters. At present, in the field of large-scale grid-connected inverters, we have a research and development team with a Ph.D. or master's degree as our main body. We have undertaken 27 national and provincial science and technology research projects. In 2010, it became the support unit of the National Photovoltaic Engineering Laboratory. In 2011, it successfully applied for the national 863 key project, “System Integration and Development of Key Equipment for 100MW Photovoltaic Power Plants”, including the key to large-scale grid-connected inverters. Technical research, has now successfully developed the largest single-phase 1250KW large-scale photovoltaic grid-connected inverters in China. In addition, the new megawatt-level integrated inverter solutions currently launched by our company are packaged to solve the megawatt-level photovoltaic power station inverter control system. For the owners to provide a full range of solutions; the development of the 1KW-500KW full range of photovoltaic grid-connected inverters, all passed the "Golden Sun", "TUV", "ENEL", "CE" and other domestic and foreign certification. In July 2011, our company's TBEA brand high-power grid-connected inverters passed the low-voltage ride-through test of PV grid-connected inverters by the State Grid's Institute of Electrical Engineering. Based on the above research results, our company is currently at the leading domestic level in terms of technology research and development.

Polaris Solar PV Network: Recently, the TBEA new energy photovoltaic industry circular economy construction project has been fully started. What is the capacity of the project after it is completed? What is the significance of the company's development?

Shao Shaohua: TBEA, as one of the most comprehensive new energy companies in the PV industry chain, currently possesses reliable and efficient photovoltaics integrating coal, power, polysilicon, silicon, components, inverters, and system integration applications. Industry chain. The layout of such an industrial chain can be said to be only one company in China, so we have advantages that other PV companies cannot match in terms of cost control. In terms of technological innovation, thanks to more than 20 years of experience accumulated by TBEA in the power sector and our over 10 years of technical reserves in the field of photovoltaic inverters, we are very optimistic about the development prospects in the field of photovoltaics. In Xinjiang, China's photovoltaic industry circular economy construction project with a total investment of 7.2 billion yuan was fully started in August last year. It is currently under active construction and is scheduled to be commissioned and trial-produced by the end of 2012. By then, TEDA polysilicon production capacity will reach 15,000 yuan. In Xi'an, Xi'an New Energy Industrial Park signed by our company and Xi'an High-tech District Government last year was jointly under construction. Currently, it is also under construction. It plans to use 400 acres of land and invest 200 million yuan in the first phase. It is expected this year. September can be completed and put into use. In 2011, we shipped more than 150MW of inverters, and the total number of photovoltaic power plants contracted for system integration was about 300MW, ranking first in China. All of the photovoltaic power stations under construction were connected to the grid for power generation. This can be said to have been created in the domestic market. A miracle. At the end of 2012, TBEA will form a 1.5-ton polysilicon recycling economy industry circle in Xinjiang, and form a 500MW annual production capacity of photovoltaic modules in Xi’an, an annual production capacity of 2000MW for high-power control/inverters, and 500MW of photovoltaic systems for integrated applications. The power generation equipment manufacturing high-tech enterprises form a vertically integrated business model supported by the key control technology of photovoltaic power generation, and become the photovoltaic power generation equipment manufacturing company with the most competitive and brand influence in China and even in the world.

Polaris Solar PV Network: In recent years, TBEA began to switch from upstream polysilicon to downstream photovoltaic power plants. Has the entire industry chain been connected?

Shao Shaohua: At present, we are not involved in the battery segment. Through cooperation with outstanding companies in the industry, we will increase the competitiveness of TBEA in the new energy field.

Polaris Solar PV Network: How do you personally view the whole industry chain model?

Shao Shaohua: The entire industry chain has its own advantages. Through internal integration, it can effectively reduce costs and improve the company's gross margin. However, the entire industry chain first has a large demand for funds, and it belongs to different industry sectors. It has higher management requirements. At the same time, there is no external competition within the industry chain, and it cannot ensure that each link can be optimized. In the current stage, the cooperation and division of labor in each segment of the industry chain and effective linkage are the fundamentals for the overall healthy development of the industry. Polaris Solar PV Network: Nowadays, many companies in the entire photovoltaic industry chain have suffered this dilemma, including the most basic difficulties, in the face of such markets. How does environmental TBEA deal with it?

Shao Shaohua: TBEA not only makes products, but also does EPC, investment, and operations. In the product area, although there is a certain predicament in the manufacturing industry, we have made considerable progress in the fields of investment, system integration, and inverters. These businesses can drive the sustainable development of our new energy industry. Relying on TBEA's comprehensive technical advantages in the power system, it provides customers with the lowest cost of electricity. Last year, the inverter performance exceeded 150 MW, ranking the industry leader, and the system integration project volume exceeded 230 MW, ranking first in the industry. .

Polaris Solar PV Network: Recently, many companies that do components have also begun to enter the power plant market. Do you think that the high profit point of the PV industry is not all squeezed into the power plant?

Shao Shaohua: At present, in the entire industrial chain of photovoltaic systems, due to the oversupply of the market, a large number of stocks have been formed. PV power plants invest in photovoltaic power plants first to increase profit growth, and secondly to drive sales of their products. At present, the current difficulties in manufacturing operations are mainly caused by blind expansion and overcapacity in the industry. The profit obtained by photovoltaic power plants is a normal profit, because countries' PV subsidy policies are determined by the current market price.

Polaris Solar PV Network: How do you see the future development of new energy?

Shao Shaohua: The difficulties in the photovoltaic industry are only temporary. The current difficulties are mainly due to the blind expansion in the industry in the past two years, resulting in a serious excess production capacity, which has caused a panic price drop and inventory clearing, but the entire industry is developing. The fundamentals have not changed. After the development of the photovoltaic industry over the past ten years, the cost of photovoltaic power generation has dropped drastically, and it is now very close to parity. With the gradual depletion of traditional energy, the proportion of new energy industry in the entire energy will be greatly improved, which will bring tremendous opportunities for the development of the entire photovoltaic industry.

Polaris Solar Photovoltaic Network: As far as you can see the current situation in China, is the government now meeting this scale-type large power station or a distributed small power station?

Shao Shaohua: I think that in the current situation, it is still more suitable for large-scale power plants, because our country's power grid does not yet have the ability to accept anywhere, we need to plan the entire power grid, and then focus on planning and centralized construction of photovoltaic power plants in accordance with the planning of the power grid. But the future photovoltaic industry should be a distributed power plant because it is close to the user center and can use this clean energy more efficiently. With the construction of the national power grid reaching a certain level, small distributed power plants will lead to development. Space, but in the past three years, it is mainly concentrated power stations.

Polaris Solar PV Network: Now the entire bottleneck of the photovoltaic industry, the biggest bottleneck is the problem of grid connection. So what are the biggest problems in terms of policies, technologies, and industries for PV power stations to access the large grid?

Shao Shaohua: At present, there are no problems with the policy. The government has formulated the development plan for the photovoltaic industry, and introduced the on-grid tariff. The main problem now is that the power grid construction does not match, and the planning of the power grid and power generation enterprises is not synchronized, and each planning is different. The photovoltaic power plant that led to the construction of many of our country's western regions may not have access to equipment in its vicinity. Without access, you cannot guarantee grid connection at the time and cause sun exposure. You need to be able to integrate into the grid after the power grid is connected.

Polaris Solar PV Network: Wind power has already undergone a process of reshuffling and integrating resources. Will PV also face the same shuffle? Domestic photovoltaic companies are not small and scattered this feature?

Shao Shaohua: I think it will definitely go through this process of shuffling. Under the current market environment, some small and large enterprises will face bankruptcy, and some large companies will integrate. Changing the current situation of small and scattered photovoltaic companies, the future of China's photovoltaic industry will form a large and strong, small and specialized characteristics, in order to make the entire industry sustainable.