PV sector eyes reshuffle ahead of EU ruling

China's solar PV sector will not have a truly promising future until the costs of PV power plant construction and power generation are reduced to the levels of thermal power stations, according to Sha Xiaolin, chairman of Nantong Qiangsheng Photovoltaic Technologis Co.

Sha noted that the industry's fundamental way out is to build large-scale distributed power plants that can consume the excess capacity and boost sales.

QS Solar, previously a maker of thin-film PV modules, has re-focused its business on the development of PV power plants in the past two years.

In the next two years, the company will make efforts to lower costs of rooftop solar power generation systems to about 5 million yuan ($805,152) per mW, close to the unit cost of building a thermal power plant, Sha added.

American PV module maker First Solar, Inc agreed that the Chinese government's favorable policies should be carried out in a sustainable way, while commenting on the Chinese market at the ongoing PV power expo in Shanghai.

A feed-in tariff scheme is key to the development of the solar PV sector, said a senior manager of First Solar.

"Generally speaking, the future trends (of PV power) will be private PV power plants and increased energy storage capacity, and the policies should focus on these areas," said Jiang Haijiang, president of Shanghai Aero-Sharp Electric Technologies Co.

In early May, Germany spearheaded global efforts in subsidizing energy storage systems of PV batteries, according to Jiang.