Common Misconceptions About Residential PV More and more people want to invest in photovoltaic arrays and battery storage systems. However, the German Consumer Association said that many misunderstandings may eventually lead to consumer disappointment. Home demand for rooftop photovoltaic systems and residential batteries continues to grow. In order to meet the expectations of building owners, the German consumer association Verbraucherzentrale NRW is trying to clear up misconceptions about photovoltaic installations that can disappoint professional consumers. Verbraucherzentrale NRW energy digital transformation analyst S?ren Demandt said: "It is very important that people can clearly realize their personal goals for using photovoltaics, and then discover more information about other aspects. In this way, Disappointment can be avoided, and solar energy can be used truly efficiently." The first misconception is that people are promised that they can be self-sufficient with photovoltaics and storage systems. This is not the case, as photovoltaic systems and home energy storage solutions can only meet a certain percentage of a household's annual electricity supply. The degree of self-sufficiency achievable in a home ranges from 25% to 90%, depending on the level of electricity consumption and whether a storage system is installed. Especially in the winter months, demandt said, there is not enough solar power generation, so electricity must be purchased from the grid. Full self-sufficiency can only be achieved with additional seasonal storage, such as hydrogen electricity. "However, this is technically very complex and makes little economic sense for residential units," Demandt said. Another misconception is that photovoltaic systems are only valuable when combined with batteries. Some homeowners seem to think that connecting solar to the grid is not an attractive option from an economic standpoint. "PV systems can still be economically valuable even without storage," Demandt said. "The viability of installing batteries for a PV system depends on a number of factors—primarily household consumption and electricity costs." Therefore, homeowners should check their power consumption levels without the storage system installed. They can compare the higher level of electricity consumption achieved after installing the battery storage system with the actual electricity bills incurred. Verbraucherzentrale NRW disagrees with the opinion that south-facing roofs are always more suitable for installing photovoltaic systems than east-west facing roofs. Photovoltaic power generation not only pursues as much power output as possible, but also needs to be able to meet continuous power demand. Compared with the south-facing roof, the photovoltaic system installed on the east-west facing roof has only about 80% of its annual power generation. However, the power generated by a solar system installed on an east-west facing roof can be spread over the course of the day,...

Europe is still the largest export market for photovoltaic modules. What is the solution to the "hidden worries" of photovoltaic exports in the future? Europe is still the largest export market for Chinese photovoltaic products. However, in the context of the localization of European photovoltaic manufacturing and support for the local photovoltaic industry chain, Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers "going overseas" are not without hidden worries. In the first two months of 2023, China's export of photovoltaic modules showed a phenomenon of "not slow in the off-season". According to the latest customs data, from January to February 2023, China's module exports reached 47.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9%, ending the continuous month-on-month decline since August last year. Europe is still the largest export market for Chinese photovoltaic products, and more than half of photovoltaic modules are shipped to Europe. According to customs data, from January to February 2023, the export value of photovoltaic modules in Europe will be 27 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 58%. Among them, the export data of Spain, France, Poland, Greece, Belgium, Denmark and other countries all achieved positive month-on-month growth from January to February. In contrast, the Asian region decreased by 36% year-on-year, and the Latin American region decreased by 6% year-on-year. For a long time, the European market has been highly dependent on photovoltaic products imported from China. In 2022, the European market's high dependence on Chinese photovoltaic products will rise instead of falling. According to data from market information company Infolink Consulting, Chinese photovoltaic companies will export a total of 154.8GW of photovoltaic modules in 2022, an increase of 74% over 2021. Among them, more than half of the photovoltaic modules are exported to the European market. In 2022, China will export 86.6GW of photovoltaic modules to Europe, an increase of 112% compared to the export volume in 2021 (40.9 GW). China International Finance Securities believes that in the context of a high base, the export value of photovoltaics will still exceed expectations to achieve a year-on-year growth of 15% from January to February 2023, and the average monthly amount in the first two months will achieve the first month-on-month growth since August last year. (Monthly average increase of 22%), showing that overseas demand remains strong in the context of a significant drop in natural gas prices, and inventory is well digested. However, under the background of the localization of photovoltaic manufacturing in Europe and the support of the local photovoltaic industry chain, Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers "going overseas" are not without hidden worries. On March 16, as part of the Green Agreement industrial plan, the official website of the European Commission officially announced the two cornerstones of the green industrial plan, the "Net Zero Industry Act" and t...

Canadian Solar: 21.1GW of module shipments in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 45% On March 21, 2023, Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ, hereinafter referred to as "Canadian Solar" or the "Group") announced that it will end the fourth quarter of 2022 as of December 31, 2022. and annual financial reports. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the Group has sold a total of 6.4 GW of solar modules to more than 70 countries, an increase of 68% year-on-year; the top five markets for shipments are China, the United States, Brazil, Spain and Germany. In 2022, the group's sales will be US$7.47 billion (approximately RMB 50.273 billion), a year-on-year increase of 42%; net profit will be US$240 million (approximately RMB 1.615 billion), and diluted earnings per share will be US$3.44 (approximately RMB 23.15) ; Module shipments were 21.1 GW, a year-on-year increase of 45%; total annual shipments of energy storage systems were 1.79 GWh, doubling year-on-year; Solar power plant project layout and planning As of January 31, 2023, Canadian Solar Group (CSIQ) has a total global solar power plant project reserve of about 25 GW. Among them, the total amount of solar power station projects under construction is about 1.8 GW, the total amount of solar power station projects in the late stage of project development is about 4.9 GW, and the total amount of solar power station projects in the early/middle stage of project development is about 18 GW. About 1.77 GW of global solar power plant projects under construction, respectively located in: 1,400 MW in Latin America (including 645 MW of power plant projects held by third parties or sold to third parties), 89 MW in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) , Japan 36 megawatts, China 250 megawatts. About 4.87 GW of solar power plant projects in the late stage of project development are located in: 422 MW in North America, 2,397 MW in Latin America and 971 MW in China (including 282 MW of power plant projects owned by third parties or sold to third parties) , EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) 936 MW, Japan 149 MW, Asia Pacific (excluding Japan and China) 3 MW. (*The power station project in the late stage of project development refers to a solar power station that has signed a PPA power sale agreement or has obtained FIT, the project is safe and reliable, and will be completed in the next one to four years.) About 6.86 GW of solar power plant project reserves in the middle of project development are located in: North America 2,310 MW, Latin America 908 MW, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) 3,509 MW, Japan 3 MW, Asia Pacific (excluding Japan and China) 135 MW. (*The power station project in the middle stage of project development refers to the project that has more than 90% certainty and can sign the PPA power sales agreement.) About 11.22 GW of solar power plant project reserves in the early stage of project development are located in: North America 4,324 MW, Latin America 510 MW, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) 2,803 M...