he Global Solar Council (GSC) He was present at the 17th edition of SNEC Photovoltaic Conference and Exhibitionthe world’s largest conference on solar photovoltaic energy, was held in China weeks ago.
In this context, Marcelo Alvarez, Member of the The Board of Directors and the LATAM Task Force Coordinator of the World Solar Council analyzed the trends, challenges and opportunities facing the growth of photovoltaic energy.
Therefore, one of the main points that he highlighted in his conversation with him Strategic energy It is linked to a series of tax tariffs imposed by some countries on products and solutions manufactured in other parts of the world.
“For example, Atmosphere Biden (President of the United States) Increase customs duties on solar energy units From other countries to 50% and some kind of retaliation in exports is expected, in addition to the fact that the European Union has also put trade barriers to electric mobility from China. “The fact that projects are being generated in other parts of the world other than Asia in general,” he said.
“Projects to set up large production plants in other countries have now started due to the weakness in the West from a possible conflict in the supply of components, especially photovoltaic modules and inverters,” he added.
This fact may lead to higher prices for this type of solution in the medium term, due to the establishment of tariff and quasi-tariff barriers between countries with trade conflicts.
Therefore, the World Solar Council seeks to create a dialogue to avoid barriers between markets and promote local production with incentives. That is, to prevent international cooperation from collapsing and conflicts in order to promote the solar energy sector.
“The role of the World Solar Council is to stimulate the adoption of solar energy to make it cheaper, faster and more efficient. The discussions include how to create effective incentive mechanisms and not barriers based on origin, because they always end up with restrictions on one side and counter-restrictions on the other that lead to higher prices,” stressed Marcelo Alvarez, who was recognized at SNEC for his extensive experience in the solar sector.
What other trends have been observed?
In addition to the increased efficiency of the units, generally with N-Type technology and more than 600 watts of power, the member The Board of Directors and the GSC LATAM Task Force Coordinator highlighted that there are more offers for the agricultural energy systems and energy storage sector.
“the The debate is about technology, pricing, who provides the technology and control electronics, given that many suppliers offer integrated solutions. Lithium batteries are still being sold at the commercial stage, but sodium for stationary batteries is making great progress in large projects; although there will be no single winner or one technology will replace the other,” he hinted in relation to storage.
“While there is a growing tendency towards expensive crops in the field of photovoltaics, the separation of modules allows for an optimization of the solar structure and is paid for by the activity of the soil. For example, in Argentina, it could be about red fruits, vines, legumes, vegetables and more products that can be produced with peri-urban photovoltaics, with very close connection points.
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