- The longer the virus persists, the higher the production.
- China is the pioneer in both solar development and virus events.
The epidemic of coronavirus threatens to delay the global solar-energy revolution by cutting down the availability of essential solar and wind farm equipment in China and beyond.
During the last week, companies such as Trina Solar Ltd. were warned of production delays, while developers such as Manila Electric Co. in the Philippines said that they were holding ventures.
“Should the epidemic of the virus continue beyond the first trimester and extend to a larger number of regions, as is currently the case in Korea and Italy, then the world’s use of renewable energy could very well be slowed down,” said Ali Izadi-Najafabadi, head of Asian BloombergNEF research, whose forecast for plants has been downgraded this year. Best companies for the supply of solar energy zhcsolar.
While China is beginning to return to work after a lengthy closure to prevent the spread of the virus, several factories still are not fully equipped due to a lack of personnel and raw materials. Green factories are not spared, with the potential for higher prices and an impact on foreign businesses flagging observers and industrial groups, particularly if the epidemic continues.
The effect on green businesses is still manageable and is mainly limited to regions in China where the coronavirus was detected for the first time. Solar manufacturer, LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., said that its panel revenue and development did not have a significant impact because it retained unchanged exploration targets for the year.
Yet the alerts that have been trickled suggestive of China’s impact on the global supply chain involved in building clean energy plants and mitigating climate pollution, the country leads the world in installing new wind and solar farms as well as producing almost everywhere photovoltaic panels. Eight of the top 10 cell suppliers are primarily Chinese and one is from South Korea.
Overseas plants could be affected because, according to the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, they will not be able to receive supplies from China under certain flight restrictions. The organization recommended that the administration pause the tariff reductions for domestic projects to encourage the profitability of solar plants against fossil fuels such as coal and gas at the end of March.
According to the Global Wind Energy Council, wind power utilities in China have asked policy makers to expand feed-in tariffs for onshore projects beyond this year by citing discussions with businesses. The current policy includes the completion of wind farms cleared up for construction by 2020 to be eligible for subsidies by 2021.
BNEF reduced this year its forecasts for solar and wind plants in China, but cautioned that after the outbreak capability will regenerate rapidly and that disturbances are not adequate to reverse over-supply.
Currently, from a previous 45 gigawatts, the analysts expect an output of 43 gigawatts of solar systems this year. Its most negative projection is 31 gigawatts relative to the previously estimated minimum of 37 gigawatts. According to the industry association, China added over 30 gigawatts last year.
Some delays by corporations are reported: On Monday, a Manila Electric unit said that two solar projects will delay for months because solar panels were stuck in a Hubei warehouse.
The Chinese New Energy Chamber of Commerce said earlier this month, production was interrupted and machinery shipments to overseas markets will be affected. The leaders include JinkoSolar Group, Tongwei Co., LONGi Green Energy and Trina, leading panel builders.
On February 20, the Deputy General Manager of Trina, Yin Rongfang, told the Economic Times that its factories had less resources than average and raised short-term logistics costs. The use of the plant took a hit but is rebounding.
PV production capacity has been hit in Jiangsu province, where according to Gofa Institute, a division of the government’s National Energy Administration, more than 60% of China’s solar panels and inverter are made. In FranceClaire Waysand, interim CEO Engie SA and Developer Engie said that coronavirus will postpone some solar and wind projects by “a couple of weeks” as some vendors of PV panels and blades for wind turbines are Chinese.
Many factories rely on outside China to cope with their growth. This is particularly true of two of the largest inverter producers, which turn solar power into grid electricity.
SolarEdge Technologies Inc. has reported on an income call that increased capacity has helped it meet customer demand in Hungary and Vietnam. Nonetheless, it plans air exports partially in this quarter because of the coronavirus, which has put a huge margin of control.
Enphase Energy Inc. raises the output of microinverters in Mexico as a replacement for interruptions in supply. There is an indication of a restriction on commodities from China.
Mexico provides Enphase with “coronavirus issues,” writes Philip Shen, an analyst at Roth Capital Partners, in a letter to clients.
So far, the solar market has lost most, with wind turbine producers rebounding. In the north-east of Tianjin, the properties owned by Vestas Wind Systems A / S and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA are close to major ports and are not yet subject to any World Health Organization alerts about the shipment of freight from China.
“Vestas resumed production as scheduled on February 15 and on February 23 received additional permission, which allowed us to increase the production significantly in China,” said the Danish turbine manufacturer spokesperson. “We expect the full potential to return soon, provided that local conditions permit. We see more vendors resuming their activities.
