Recently, Global PV noticed that Shanghai Haiyouwei New Material Co., Ltd (abbreviated to "HIUV". Stock abbreviation: Haiyou New Material, Stock code: 688680) released news on its social media platform: the company will conduct in-depth research and development of the field of offshore photovoltaic and has developed a new type of "high-efficiency marine photovoltaic encapsulation film" for this application scenario. The news, once released, immediately aroused widespread concern in the market. 

As we all know, by the end of 2022, China's photovoltaic industry has ranked first in the world for ten consecutive years. The Chinese photovoltaic industry has achieved tremendous development, with ground power stations, distributed rooftops, and various applications in residential and commercial sectors flourishing. The diversification of application scenarios for power stations has gradually become an industry necessity. As a result, a new solution for photovoltaic power stations has emerged — offshore photovoltaics.

The vast sea space makes the advantages of offshore PV unique, and the lower cost of sea use makes offshore PV stand out. According to Global PV's understanding, at present, many photovoltaic enterprises are engaged in the construction of offshore photovoltaic, such as Jinneng Science and Technology, China Power, Shandong Energy Group, National Energy Energy, Huaneng Group and so on. In late December, a Global Photovoltaic reporter visited HIUV, a leading enterprise in adhesive film technology, and discussed the technical roadmap, market applications, and future development prospects in the field of materials on the topic of offshore photovoltaic adhesive film materials.

The following is the summary of the interview: 

Q: How does HIUV view offshore PV, and what is the opportunity to start the R&D of the film in this segment?

Mrs Bie:As a leading enterprise in photovoltaic adhesive technology, Haiyouwei has consistently developed diversified products for various application scenarios such as offshore photovoltaics, extended ultraviolet, extreme heat, and extreme cold to meet the demands of global market customers. Taking offshore photovoltaics as an example, considering natural conditions, China has vast maritime areas with unobstructed solar radiation, longer sunlight hours, and higher radiation levels. Solar energy can be more fully utilized, leading to a significant increase in electricity generation compared to land-based installations. From a policy perspective in recent years, governments worldwide are actively introducing supportive policies and subsidies to accelerate the development of offshore photovoltaic plans. At the same time, we are closely monitoring the cutting-edge developments in photovoltaic technology, maintaining tight communication with customers. Several years ago, we began researching and developing encapsulation materials specifically for offshore photovoltaics to meet the market demands of different customers, enabling us to seamlessly enter the niche field of offshore photovoltaics at any time.

Q: There are a few R&D companies in the market for offshore photovoltaic films, what is the uniqueness of our products compared with other companies' products?

A: The offshore photovoltaic film products currently developed by HIUV have demonstrated excellent performance after undergoing rigorous internal testing within the company. It exhibits significant resistance to humid heat ageing, potential-induced degradation (PID), and resistance to wet UV in extreme marine environments. The optimized formula not only provides higher safety, weather resistance, and reliability for the components but also enables effective resistance against seawater corrosion. Currently, we are conducting empirical testing for offshore photovoltaics in collaboration with CPVT and China International Marine Containers (CIMC) Energy, closely monitoring the results. To meet the specific requirements of different cells in the market, HIUV's encapsulation solutions are tailored accordingly. The current comprehensive encapsulation solution can accommodate various types of high-efficiency cells such as PERC, TOPCon, and HJT, meeting the mainstream demands in the market. 

Q: What is the mass production situation of HIUV's PV adhesive film products on the sea?

A: HIUV has six production bases around the world, with an annual production capacity of over 70GW, expected to reach 100GW in the future. The offshore PV module encapsulation film products are compatible with our other encapsulation product lines and can be switched and adjusted at any time according to the market demand, which means that HIUV is well-prepared for the mass production of offshore PV film products. 

Q: As one can imagine, our product development requires repeated experiments, testing, and data research. So, throughout the process from project initiation, research and development, testing, to production delivery, what has been the biggest challenge that HIUV has encountered?

A: During the R&D process, the biggest challenge we faced was how to make the encapsulant film overcome the harsh natural conditions of the ocean, such as salt spray corrosion, high temperature and high humidity, PID, wet UV, etc., to ensure the long-term stability and power generation efficiency of the modules. encountered numerous failures in material and formula selection. After 2 years of hard work, extensive formula design, and careful verification, we finally succeeded in developing this high-efficiency encapsulant film specially designed for offshore PV modules. 

Translated from 全球光伏 (https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/QsKNOMG0LrAq4mkR3yKjRw)