LONGi bifacial modules applied at Jiangsu’s 500MW Top Runner base, creating significant ecological integration effects and economic benefits

Global News
2020.03.27

Sheyang Lake Town, a traditional agricultural town in Baoying, in China’s Jiangsu province, has an existing cultivated land area of 115,000 acres and, with a water surface area of more than 140,000 acres, is often described as a “land of plenty”.

Looking down from the sky above Sheyang Lake, rows of concrete pipe piles are neatly deployed in the water area and thousands of solar modules are operating efficiently, continuously generating electricity for local households every day.

LONGi has supplied 65MW of its high power bifacial double-glass modules to the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN)’s No. 2 100MW “Fishery-Solar Complementary” project, which is the first phase of the 500MW Top Runner base of ecological fishery photovoltaic power generation in Baoying County.

Constructed by Power China’s ZhongNan Engineering Corporation, the project brings together the characteristics of Baoying County's water township, changing the area into a comprehensive development zone, integrating photovoltaic power station, aquaculture production and suburban leisure tourism. It is the first project on which LONGi and ZhongNan Engineering have collaborated.

The application environment of the project has high requirements in terms of its solar modules’ anti-cracking, waterproof level and anti-PID qualities. LONGi’s bifacial double-glass modules provide both low attenuation and excellent LeTID. They can meet the technical standards of numerous application conditions, such as water surface.

Baoying County has average daily sunshine of 7 hours, belonging to the third category of solar energy resource regions in China. One year after connection to the grid, the bifacial system is still delivering an excellent performance in terms of both power generation and stable operation, fully utilising the natural reflection conditions of the water’s surface,   guaranteeing the long-term sustainability and reliable power generation of the project.

The project presented a number of challenges in its installation phase. According to the person in charge, it was winter when installation work entered its later stages, with temperatures dropping to below zero and large areas of ice forming on the lake. Faced with these difficult conditions, LONGi proactively coordinated production capacity and switched to a combination of land and water transport routes, completing the delivery of all components in less than a month. Through the joint cooperation with ZhongNan Engineering, LONGi ensured the smooth integration of the entire project, creating an amazing "Baoying Speed" and being rewarded by ZhongNan and CGN with the accolade of ‘excellent supplier’.

As a major project in Baoying County, with a total investment of more than 3 billion yuan, the 500MW Top Runner base is expected to generate 650 million kWh annually and save 80,000 tons of standard coal each year after connection to the grid. In addition to creating economic benefits, the project will also have a significant ecological effect and social impact on the local area. LONGi's participation in the project has brought highly positive references for the development of integrated “Fishery-Solar” projects and also contributed to the diversified development of local clean energy.