[KATOWICE, Poland] The combination of photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage will become the ultimate energy solution for mankind, said Li Zhenguo, president of LONGi Green Energy Technology, a world's leading manufacturer of monocrystalline silicon PV products. Li made the remarks on Tuesday at a sideline event during the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Katowice, Poland.
"The most effective way to get global warming under control is to install a power system entirely based on renewable energy," said Li, predicting that PV will be the cheapest power source in most parts of the world in the next two or three years, due to the rapid development of PV technologies and the continuous fall in production costs.
He added that electricity storage can help offset solar fluctuations, making the combination of PV and energy storage the major energy solution within ten years. "Energy storage technologies such as pumped hydroelectric storage (PHS), chemical energy storage, and electric vehicle-to-grid energy storage have been advancing rapidly. In addition, power will be better shared as a result of the global energy internet," Li added.
In an effort to create the least carbon footprint, LONGi is using hydropower to produce monocrystalline silicon ingots and wafers in its bases in Yunnan Province of China and Kuching of Malaysia, where this type of clean energy is abundant.
Speaking of future plans, Li said LONGi will implement the "solar for solar" strategy, a business mode to power PV production entirely by solar energy. The company plans to build PV and PHS power plants in coastal areas with abundant sunlight and topographic drop to supply electricity for its solar product plants.
The sideline event was held to call for international cooperation in promoting the use of clean energy to tackle climate change.
Source: LONGi Green Energy Technology.
