In recent years, Wuxi has been actively promoting the development of rooftop photovoltaic power stations as part of its efforts to embrace clean energy and achieve the "dual - carbon" goals. The city's rooftop photovoltaic power stations have witnessed remarkable growth, with various projects being implemented across different sectors.
Wuxi's rooftop photovoltaic power stations are mainly of the distributed type. As of relevant data, there are 1280 enterprise rooftop photovoltaic users with a total installed capacity of 1216,000 kilowatts, and 4656 residential rooftop photovoltaic users with a total installed capacity of 35,000 kilowatts. The annual power generation of the city's distributed photovoltaic reaches 1.072 billion kilowatt - hours, with a 100% consumption rate.
The largest distributed photovoltaic power generation project in Wuxi so far is the one on the more than 60,000 - square - meter roof of Wuxi Weike Group. With a total installed capacity of 3.3 megawatts, it is expected to be connected to the grid for power generation on a specific date, with an annual power generation of over 3 million degrees. Another significant project is the Wuxi Wancheng Mall rooftop photovoltaic project, which has an installed capacity of 1.92 megawatts and an annual power generation of over 2 million kilowatt - hours. Under good operating conditions, it can save about 600,000 yuan in electricity costs and reduce about 1129 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
Wuxi has introduced a series of policies to encourage the development of rooftop photovoltaic power stations. For example, in Wuxi New Area, photovoltaic power generation projects with a local photovoltaic product rate of over 50% can enjoy a one - time subsidy of 200,000 yuan per megawatt of installed capacity. Enterprises that provide rooftop resources for the construction of distributed photovoltaic power stations will be given priority in enjoying various energy - saving and emission - reduction support policies at all levels.
Wuxi has long been an important photovoltaic industry base, but previously mainly focused on the production of battery components, with a single product structure. Rooftop photovoltaic power stations provide a good opportunity to extend the industrial chain. Moreover, as Wuxi faces resource and environmental bottlenecks in the future, the use of clean energy such as rooftop photovoltaic is an inevitable choice to optimize the energy structure.
In Wuxi, especially in Wuxi New Area, which is an agglomeration area of foreign - funded enterprises, many multinational companies have a corporate culture that emphasizes environmental protection and social responsibility. They are more willing to participate in the construction of rooftop photovoltaic power stations, which also promotes the development of rooftop photovoltaic in the region.
As one of the first national distributed photovoltaic demonstration parks, Wuxi Xingzhou Industrial Park started building photovoltaic power stations in 2013. Currently, the total installed capacity of the park's photovoltaic power stations has exceeded 15 megawatts, with an annual power generation of over 18 million degrees. It contributes 16% to the park's daily electricity load, saves 5040 tons of standard coal annually, and reduces nearly 14,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The park has a unique power distribution network composed of external power supply, photovoltaic power generation, and energy storage stations. The energy storage station, with a power of 20 megawatts and a rated energy storage capacity of 160 megawatt - hours, is the largest commercial energy storage station in the country. It charges at night and discharges during the day, effectively reducing the peak - time power demand and improving the economic efficiency of the park's power grid.
Hongdou Group, a large - scale private enterprise, is an energy - consuming giant. Hongdou Industrial City's annual electricity consumption is about 200 million degrees. Currently, a 20 - megawatt distributed photovoltaic power generation project has been put into use. In 2020, the power generation was 18.8832 million degrees, contributing 9% of clean energy to the industrial city. Under good lighting conditions, photovoltaic power generation can meet 70% - 80% of the factory's electricity load. In addition, this year, Hongdou Group plans to start building a 15 - megawatt distributed photovoltaic project, with 10 megawatts in the domestic market and 5 megawatts overseas.
Wuxi's sunlight belongs to the third - class region in the country, with less - than - ideal lighting conditions. The annual photovoltaic power generation utilization hours are 1100 hours, ranking at a medium - to - lower level in the country. This geographical factor restricts the efficiency of rooftop photovoltaic power generation to a certain extent.
Although the technology of rooftop photovoltaic power generation has been developing, there are still some technical problems to be solved. For example, the conversion efficiency of photovoltaic panels needs to be further improved, and the energy storage technology also needs to be enhanced to better store and utilize the electricity generated by photovoltaic power stations.
The initial investment in building rooftop photovoltaic power stations is relatively high, including the cost of purchasing photovoltaic panels, installation, and maintenance. Although the long - term economic benefits are obvious, for some small - and medium - sized enterprises and residents, the high initial cost may be a deterrent.
In the future, the "photovoltaic +" application scenarios in Wuxi will be more diversified. There will be more applications in areas such as photovoltaic buildings, photovoltaic roads, photovoltaic schools, and photovoltaic agriculture. For example, in the field of "photovoltaic + transportation", there will be airport photovoltaic power stations, photovoltaic railway stations, and photovoltaic highway rest - stops.
With the continuous progress of technology, the conversion efficiency of photovoltaic panels will be further improved, and energy storage technology will also be more advanced. This will enhance the performance and economic efficiency of rooftop photovoltaic power stations.
As the market for rooftop photovoltaic power stations matures, more market - oriented mechanisms will be introduced. For example, power purchase agreements and energy management contracts will become more common, promoting the healthy development of the rooftop photovoltaic power station market in Wuxi.
Wuxi's rooftop photovoltaic power stations have achieved remarkable results in recent years, with a series of large - scale projects being completed and put into operation. Although there are challenges such as geographical conditions and technical constraints, with the support of policies, technological innovation, and the improvement of social awareness, the future of Wuxi's rooftop photovoltaic power stations is very promising. The development of rooftop photovoltaic power stations not only helps Wuxi achieve its energy - saving and emission - reduction goals but also promotes the transformation and upgrading of the local economy and the development of the clean energy industry.