Technicians check solar panels in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. [Photo by YAO FEN/GFOR CHINA DAILY]

On a 2,000-square-meter roof, with unchanged space, the power generation performance has nearly doubled, realizing a qualitative leap in quantity. On the morning of Sept 9, the "trade-in" distributed photovoltaic project at the administrative center of Haining city, Jiaxing, Zhejiang province began.

This is the first distributed photovoltaic "trade-in" project in Zhejiang since the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued the "Implementation Plan for Large-scale Equipment Renewal in Key Energy Fields" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") on Aug 21.

As China's installed photovoltaic capacity continues to rise, the number of scrapped photovoltaic panels, as the core component of photovoltaic power generation, is increasing day by day. Promoting the renewal and recycling of photovoltaic equipment is becoming increasingly important. The "Plan" clearly states that it is necessary to promote the renewal and recycling of photovoltaic equipment, support the grid-forming transformation of photovoltaic power stations, and comprehensively improve the power generation efficiency and system support capacity of power stations through power electronics technology, digital technology, and intelligent technology.

As a pioneer county in the new power system, in August this year, Haining city, Jiaxing issued the "Three-year Action Plan for Promoting Large-scale Photovoltaic Development in Haining city", setting an installed capacity target of 300,000 kilowatts per year while striving for 350,000 kilowatts. By the end of 2026, the city's installed capacity of photovoltaic new energy will exceed 2 million kilowatts, and its annual output of green electricity will exceed 2 billion kilowatt-hours. One of the important measures is to accelerate the renewal of old photovoltaics, promote the transformation of existing stock into increments through renewal and iteration, and achieve a double increase in the installed capacity and power generation of rooftop photovoltaics.

As early as last year, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power started the investigation and mapping of installed distributed photovoltaic projects within the whole city of Haining. "The investigation covers various photovoltaic projects from residential roofs to industrial and commercial buildings, and assists relevant departments such as development and reform to formulate a distributed photovoltaic trade-in plan," Zhong Jiewen, deputy director of the marketing department of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Haining Power Supply Company, said.

The "trade-in" distributed photovoltaic project on the roof of the administrative center of Haining, Jiaxing, is the first pilot project. Its smooth start will be a key demonstration and also play a leading role. The project will remove 888 P-type 270-watt photovoltaic modules installed on the roof of the municipal government conference center and replace it with 731 new N-type 590-watt photovoltaic modules for iteration. The installed capacity will increase from 237.6 kilowatts to 431.29 kilowatts. "This helps improve the power generation efficiency and energy utilization efficiency of photovoltaic power stations," Chen Huajie, the project leader, stated.

According to the schedule, the project will be fully completed in mid-October. After the upgrade and renewal, the roof is expected to generate 470,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. According to the average household electricity consumption of 4,780.6 kilowatt-hours in the province, it is equivalent to meeting the electricity consumption of 100 households per year. Within the original remaining service life, the project can generate about 4.5 million kilowatt-hours of new green electricity, equivalent to reducing 352.5 tons of carbon dioxide and 283.5 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions, achieving a win-win situation of economic and environmental benefits.

"Demonstration first. The photovoltaic 'trade-in' pilot project will not only provide valuable experience and demonstration effects for subsequent projects but also boost the green and high-quality development of the regional economy and society," Zhong Jiewen said.