Introduction: With the tilt of national policies from centralized power plants to distributed power plants, the market capacity of distributed photovoltaic power generation equipment will further expand in the future, and manufacturers entering this field will also increase further.
 
Photovoltaic power generation is a technology that uses the photovoltaic effect of a semiconductor interface to convert light energy directly into electrical energy. Compared with traditional thermal power generation technology, photovoltaic power generation has remarkable energy, environmental protection, and economic benefits. It is one of the best green energy sources, and it is also a new type of power generation and comprehensive utilization of energy with broad development prospects.
 
The photovoltaic industry chain includes the upstream: the collection of silicon materials, the production of silicon wafers, silicon rods, and silicon ingots; the middle reaches: the production of photovoltaic cells and modules; and the downstream: the integration and operation of photovoltaic power station systems.
 
The 12th SNEC International Solar Photovoltaic and Smart Energy Exhibition and Forum, known as the world's largest photovoltaic exhibition, was officially opened in Shanghai recently. Industry insiders said at the forum that China's photovoltaic industry has nearly 50 listed companies and made great contributions to economic development. In the future, the age of grid parity of photovoltaic generation will soon come.
 
Chairman of the General Assembly, Chairman of the Global Solar Energy Council, Chairman of GCL Group and Chairman of GCL-Poly Board of Directors Zhu Gongshan said in his speech that photovoltaic energy is the most intelligent industry, including photovoltaic materials and various industrial sectors, but also involves smart energy field. In the future, photovoltaic people will not be afraid of challenges, and will innovate more and promote the development of the industry. The global photovoltaic industry will continue to grow.
 
According to the prospective industry research institute “China's Photovoltaic Power Industry Market Forward-looking and Investment Strategic Planning Analysis Report,” data shows that in 2016, China's PV new installed capacity reached 34.54 GW, a year-on-year increase of more than 128%. It has become the world’s largest photovoltaic application for four consecutive years market.
 
Gao Jifan, chairman of Trina Solar, said at the forum that the photovoltaic industry has a growing influence in terms of politics, economy, and society. In 2017, the new installed capacity of photovoltaics in the world reached 103GW, equivalent to the installation of four Three Gorges power stations. The scale has become the most important driving force for the global power installation. China's photovoltaic industry has nearly 50 listed companies and has made great contributions to economic development.
 
“According to statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, there were nearly 3.4 million people in the global photovoltaic industry in 2017, of whom 2.2 million were in China. Regardless of economic or social benefits, these data have given us great confidence in photovoltaics. The industry has become an important part of the country's energy development," said Gao Jifan.
 
Looking to the future, he said that the road ahead is still full of difficulties and challenges, and there will be ups and downs in the development of the industry. However, innovation can create the future and hope for the future.
 
In his view, the age of grid parity of photovoltaic generation is about to come. The photovoltaic industry will move from boyhood to youth, and photovoltaic energy is gradually moving toward the center of the energy arena. With the deep integration of the photovoltaic industry with the Internet and big data, the era of smart energy has come. Continued trade protection will not fundamentally affect the development of the photovoltaic industry, and even promote the further globalization of the photovoltaic industry.
 
“We expect that in the near future, under the efforts of all entrepreneurs and with the support of all sectors of society, under the guidance of the concept of high-quality development, we will work together to create a bigger, higher and better industrial eco-environment to promote the photovoltaic industry. There are more outstanding enterprises with one hundred billion yuan or even trillions of grades. The number of people employed in the photovoltaic smart energy industry exceeds 10 million, making greater contribution to economic and social construction and ecological civilization, said Gao Jifan.
 
In 2016, the total output value of China's photovoltaic industry reached 336 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 27%. During the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, China's solar power generation industry is expected to be significantly increased. According to the scale development indicators provided by the National Energy Administration, by the end of 2020, the installed capacity of solar power generation is expected to reach 160 million kilowatts, and the annual power generation capacity will reach 170 billion kilowatt-hours. In the installed capacity of 160 million kilowatts, the total installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation accounts for 150 million kilowatts. It is expected that during the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” period, the photovoltaic industry will reach nearly a trillion yuan market space.
 
Relying on relatively mature production technology, the number of enterprises engaged in the production and installation of distributed photovoltaic power generation equipment in China has also gradually increased. The entry of many small and medium-sized manufacturers has led to increasingly fierce competition in the industry. With the tilt of national policies from centralized power plants to distributed power plants, the market capacity of distributed photovoltaic power generation equipment will further expand in the future, and manufacturers entering this field will also increase further.