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Weekly UpdatesWorkers started to install solar energy panels on the building rooftop of Xinjiang Silicon Co., a unit of Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co., Ltd. (SH: 600089), on June 10th, indicating the first photovoltaic buildings integrated project installation in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region under the solar energy rooftop program unveiled by the Ministry of Finance this March.
The project, at the Midong High-tech Industry Park in Urumqi, is scheduled to be completed by the end of July. A total of 1 224 square meters of rooftop space will be reconstructed for solar panel installation, which will generate annual power of 231 200 kilowatt-hours, which in turn could save 93 tons of standard coal.
A project manager at Xinjiang SunOasis Co., Ltd. said: "At the next stage, Tebian Electric Apparatus will install PV modules in public facilities and schools, as well as new buildings."
There has come a new opportunity for China's photovoltaic industry. "The financial crisis has dragged down the costs of solar energy. Solar energy cost was about RMB4 per kW before, and now it's around RMB1.5 per kW, though still higher than the conventional coal-fired electricity cost of about RMB0.4," the executive said.
The main reason behind the falling solar energy costs is the slumping polysilicon price, which was about RMB3 500 per kilogram before the financial crisis and is only about RMB600 now.
"So far, the majority of the power generated by solar cells is not uploaded to the nation's power grids," said a manager with the Xinjiang New Energy Research Institute. Some solar energy stations that are connected with power grids only work as back-up power pool, so a real grid-connected solar power market has not been formed.
The National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration are drafting a document to regulate the grid-connected solar energy sector, which could be unveiled before the end of the year, industry sources said.
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