It is obvious that solar photovoltaic power generation technology is a high-tech that is crucial for the future of humanity and will inevitably become a focus of scientific research worldwide. The fact is almost the same. Due to receiving international attention, the development of solar photovoltaic power generation technology has been rapid, almost reaching a level of rapid progress. Both domestically and internationally, its research forms are also flourishing.
In a 2015 research report by the International Energy Agency, it was pointed out that China’s energy consumption has reached a quarter of the world’s total. This indicates that while China’s economy is developing rapidly, it is also overly reliant on resource investment. Under such a severe situation, China has formulated a series of relevant policies to cope with it, among which research policies on renewable energy have undoubtedly become the core link. Both the Renewable Energy Development Action Plan and the Eleventh Five Year Plan express the country’s absolute support for the research field of solar power generation through various planning guidelines. After the release of the “100000 rooftop photovoltaic power generation” plan hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Government, a wave of solar power generation applications has been sparked nationwide. The iconic central venue of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Bird’s Nest, was built on the basis of utilizing solar power generation. China’s various measures to develop new energy have repeatedly predicted that the solar energy industry will usher in a new peak in the near future.
In recent years, solar power generation technology has taken a fast lane. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, developed countries sparked a wave of development in photovoltaic grid connected systems, with “rooftop photovoltaic grid connected systems” experiencing rapid growth. As the name suggests, rooftop photovoltaic grid connected power generation system is a system that installs solar cells on the roof, which is very suitable for China’s basic national conditions. Its convenient installation and low cost characteristics are not only conducive to popularization, but also conducive to energy security and preparedness, and have been widely valued by various countries. Grid connected power generation is a trend in the development of solar energy utilization and an inevitable direction for the large-scale development of photovoltaic power generation.
Although there is a favorable environment for solar energy research in China, any new technology research and discovery requires time to brew. Currently, China cannot fully grasp the key technology of solar grid connected power generation, and solar energy equipment is also lagging behind compared to foreign countries. In this situation, while we are dedicated to our own research, we also need to boldly learn from foreign countries. By continuously learning and developing technology, we can achieve the industrialization of solar power generation, laying a solid foundation for the country’s better and faster development.
There is no doubt that foreign countries are in a leading position compared to China in solar power generation. As early as 1997, US President Clinton personally named a plan to develop solar energy technology. This move alone has already led China by more than one or two points. Similarly, in Germany, the world’s first solar cell factory was completed in 1999. In Japan, the government’s support for the development of solar energy technology is even stronger. Since 1994, the Japanese government has implemented a super strong support policy for the solar energy industry. For every individual who purchases a set of solar power generation equipment, the government will subsidize two-thirds of the equipment price. By 2015, according to statistics, about 80% of private homes in Japan already have solar photovoltaic power generation systems. According to big data, Japan’s solar power generation accounts for 40% of the country’s total electricity generation.
In the research and development of new technologies, many new achievements have also been made internationally. Australia is at the forefront of exploring filters for suppressing harmonics internationally. In the United States, a company in Texas has developed a new type of solar cell. Although the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the cell has not been improved, its low price and flexible application methods have also opened up new avenues for researchers. However, it must be mentioned that the research on solar power generation technology is currently in a bottleneck period, and researchers are struggling to make breakthroughs in the utilization of solar energy by solar cells. Most research directions have shifted towards how to reduce the cost of solar power generation equipment. Although this is currently a way to increase the popularity of solar power generation, small and high-power solar cells, as well as stable solar power generation systems, are what we are more willing to see.
In the coming decades, with the gradual depletion of traditional resources, the application of solar power generation technology will inevitably become the mainstream of the energy market, and there is a considerable market demand. However, looking back at the current situation, the lack of traditional resources such as fossil fuels is not as prominent. Therefore, the existence of solar power generation systems is still only a supplementary form to today’s energy range, rather than a mainstream form. Although there is strong support from national policies, the existence of these factors has also hindered the development of the solar energy industry in some aspects. According to estimates from relevant experts, the coal resources currently used by humans can still serve for about 50 years, the service life of natural gas is still about 70 years, and the most scarce oil reserves can only meet the current extraction speed of humans for about 40 years. As time delays, the output of these traditional resources will continue to decrease, which will be the golden period for the development of the solar power industry. At the same time, with the continuous rise of science and technology during this period, the performance and cost of solar energy systems will also continue to be optimized, and there may be new solar cell materials with higher photoelectric conversion efficiency and more advanced control methods for solar power generation systems. These are all foreseeable.
In advanced research institutions abroad, there is even the idea of transplanting solar power systems to outer space. Its purpose is to not occupy the land area of the Earth, but to directly establish some super large solar power plants in space, which can not only directly utilize the energy of the sun but also save land. When a solar power station built in space receives solar energy, it then transmits this electricity to the Earth in the form of microwaves. Its principle is similar to that of current communication satellites. If this technology is truly implemented, the energy it provides cannot be compared to solar power generation systems of the same level built on Earth. Of course, this still requires the unremitting efforts of scholars from around the world.
At present, many countries around the world have begun to be led by governments to guide a series of policies and plans to promote the development of solar power generation technology. Germany’s plan to build the world’s largest solar power generation system is gradually being realized. If the power generation system is successfully established, it will reduce Germany’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 3700 tons per year. In relatively backward countries and regions, they have also received assistance from some large solar companies, using advanced solar technology to bid farewell to the era of no electricity. And it is said that the world’s largest oil company is also transitioning towards solar energy, all of which indicate that the future energy market belongs to the market of solar power generation.