According to data released by the market research agency IHS, the 2016 photovoltaic EPC manufacturer championship was retained by TBEA, with an annual installed capacity of 1,505MW.
Today, the total installed capacity of TBEA’s ground power station EPC business is 7GW. Counting 3,000 off-grid systems, TBEA’s global EPC installed capacity has exceeded 8GW.
As one of the earliest companies engaged in photovoltaic systems in China, the development of TBEA is also the process of China's photovoltaic system integration from small to large, from ignorance to standardization, from learner to leader. The 8GW project library of
includes eastern and western projects, grid-connected and off-grid, mountainous, hydro-solar and agricultural photovoltaics, all of them. It is a museum of photovoltaic projects and a history of the evolution of China's photovoltaic industry.
Let’s take a look at how TBEA has grown into a photovoltaic EPC champion step by step.
Chapter 1: Photovoltaic Household System, Warmth Border Mountain Village
This story was heard at an industry gathering. Someone suggested at the meeting: "Everyone will tell me something that impressed me deeply since entering the photovoltaic industry." It's your turn. Zheng Quanshi, assistant general manager of TBEA New Energy, told such a story.
"In 2003, when the company was implementing the 'Sino-Dutch Silk Road Bright Project', I was sent to the most remote village in Shache County, in the Kashgar region of Xinjiang to train and install solar household systems. This village is located in the hinterland of the desert. It is 20 kilometers away from Shache County and can receive satellite signals, but there is no power grid and no electricity, and it is almost isolated from the outside world. "At this time, photovoltaic was given the historical significance of supporting border construction and promoting national unity.
"We arrived at this village on the village chief's donkey cart, and people of all ages, including men, women, and children came to see us. We lived in the homes of these Uyghur compatriots and installed photovoltaic household systems for them door to door. There are only 24 households in this village with a population of 109. The villagers are very hospitable. Although it is relatively poor here, they have a habit of serving delicious food to the guests whenever they come to the house. When we installed the household system, they served us hard-boiled eggs. We couldn't eat them. Unexpectedly, every family had boiled eggs. Under the overwhelming hospitality, several of us took turns to eat an egg from each family. One of them had the most difficulty, but they still brought out a plate of angustifolia to entertain us. Their enthusiasm made us happy. Very touched. "
" The system we built is a photovoltaic off-grid energy storage system. After it was installed, many people were so excited that they cried when they saw the lights. When we were training the villagers on how to use it, some elderly people in the village asked if it would be better if they had electricity. Can I watch TV? Only then did I know that someone in the village had bought a TV set from outside. However, since there was no electricity, they could only use a foot-operated generator to generate electricity. Later, the motor broke down and the TV set was also turned off. The dust fell there. We turned on the power and after debugging, the Xinjiang dance program happened to appear. As a result, the whole village, young and old, danced to the music on the TV and quickly entered a sea of joy. "
and so on. The photovoltaic business of TBEA was completely different in 2016, but Zheng Quan still remembered the happy expressions of the villagers that night. "The conditions were very difficult at the time, but over the years, when I think about the smiles on their faces, I feel that our work is worth it."
Foreign parties inspected many domestic project-carrying companies, and finally settled on TBEA and Yingli. "We have not only done photovoltaic projects, but also supporting water pumping, lighting, and energy storage systems. We have jointly developed them with Tsinghua University and have our own patented technology." Zhang Shengzhong, chief engineer of TBEA, recalled.
This is also the soil on which the earliest batch of photovoltaic companies rely on for survival and continuation. Manufacturers such as Trina, Sunshine, and laminator manufacturer Orite (now known as Yiheng Technology Co., Ltd.) are promoted by Mr. Wu Dachang and other industry experts. , has gained room for development, and now it has become a leading enterprise in its respective fields. In 2008, TBEA New Energy Co., Ltd. officially established the system integration division based on the original silicon materials and photovoltaic inverters, focusing on engineering services. On December 30, 2015, TBEA New Energy Industry Co., Ltd. Xinte Energy (1799) is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. “When we were founded, there were only 46 of us."Zhang Shengzhong recalled, "At that time, the market was still mainly in Europe, and we were laying the foundation and preparing for the domestic market. ”
After all the power transmission projects to rural areas were completed in 2006, TBEA was lucky enough to catch up with the opportunity of the great development of national communications. The 3G network and the village-to-village project required the construction of a large number of signal base stations, and the western region has a vast area and terrain Complex, photovoltaic + energy storage has become the best power supply solution. During this period, TBEA has provided a large number of base station power supply systems for China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, as well as oil and gas pipelines and oil well power supply for PetroChina and Sinopec. There are also some photovoltaic parts undertaken by TBEA. Today, most of the 46 people from that year have moved into management positions and have become the backbone of Xinte Energy’s EPC business. Starting from the first photovoltaic village-level power station, From the power supply system of signal base stations, at this stage, China's photovoltaic industry is dominated by off-grid energy storage systems. Although the energy storage market has not yet formed a scale, energy storage companies have become popular. History is repeated like this but there are differences. In a spiraling state.
A year of exploration: Comprehensive upgrade of quality and cost control
In 2009, the Golden Sun Demonstration Project was launched, and TBEA actively participated in all the projects it could come into contact with. “We worked very hard and invested in dozens of projects. It would be nice to get one. "Zhang Shengzhong said, "But if you don't participate, you can't grow. "Although TBEA has experience in off-grid systems, the entire industry is unfamiliar with grid-connected photovoltaic systems and BIPV. In the same year, First Solar, the EPC giant that is now alongside TBEA and the largest photovoltaic module manufacturer at the time, also started photovoltaic The road to power stations, and with the help of the component business, has a much higher starting point.
TBEA sent technical personnel to study abroad, and went to power stations to learn from experience. "According to Zhang Shengzhong's recollection, since then, TBEA has gradually deepened its understanding of photovoltaic systems and how to design photovoltaic power stations to better meet the needs of practical applications. "We will analyze every bid to see where our advantages and gaps are. ?Especially for failed projects, a gap analysis must be done on technology, marketing, and engineering to see if there is any room for improvement in the budget and price system. "Continuous summarization and continuous learning have become a routine at TBEA.
"In the early days, due to the relatively expensive component prices, and most off-grid photovoltaic systems were not purely for profit, the task of delivering power to uninhabited areas or powering equipment Accounting for a larger proportion, the Golden Sun Project is the first domestic attempt to balance quality and reduce power generation costs. "Zhang Shengzhong said.
By the way, the author has always believed that although the Golden Sun project has been criticized in the industry due to its subsidy method, its contribution to the industry cannot be ignored. And from another perspective, the government's trust in enterprises, is it The reason why inferior companies are "thief"?
In the early days of domestic photovoltaics, power design institutes were basically entrusted with planning and design. However, since there were few examples for photovoltaic power plants to follow, design institutes often adopted power system design requirements at the beginning. The quality of the power plants designed at that time was seriously excessive. "Zhang Shengzhong said: "Our first BIPV project was done in our own factory. The design institute strictly followed the requirements of the building regulations and made a huge foundation with large I-beams. "Zhang Jianxin realized that the photovoltaic power station built by completely copying the power system standards was seriously wasteful. "The steel structure weighs several hundred kilograms each, and the photovoltaic modules only weigh more than ten kilograms. A bracket of several hundred kilograms is needed to support a module weighing more than ten kilograms. , inconsistent with actual needs. "He immediately ordered that all the already built parts be demolished and rebuilt according to a model suitable for photovoltaic power stations.
The same situation also occurred in power stations undertaken by TBEA externally. In the second half of 2009, TBEA won the bid for a customer "We did that project according to the design. We used large machinery to dig more than 1 meter deep to make the foundation, and used I-beams and channel steels as supports. The entire project used nearly 80 tons of steel. "Zhang Shengzhong said. From then on, TBEA's EPC plans have been involved in the early stage, and some projects have been based on practical experience.
There are many similar solutions to reduce costs and improve efficiency.After launching its efforts in 2009 and settling down for a year in 2010, TBEA moved from cost control to innovation.
In 2011, the second batch of domestic 280MW concession bidding projects was launched. TBEA and its partners won several projects at once. At that time, the investment cost per watt was still too high. Zhang Shengzhong led the team to continuously improve the plan and seek ways to reduce the cost of electricity. way. In the second half of 2011, module prices were reduced, and combined with Tec's technical solutions, these projects were successfully completed.
Zhang Jianxin announced that the company will reward technical innovation personnel and enhance its core competitiveness in the entire photovoltaic market through design optimization and innovation. The most direct manifestation is that TBEA's sales performance in 2011 increased nearly 10 times compared with the performance target, from tens of millions The performance target was exceeded to exceed 300 million. TBEA fulfills its promise and rewards technicians on a project-by-project basis. "Many technical staff have never thought that they could get such a large bonus before." Zhang Shengzhong said, "This has also allowed our technical team to develop the habit of doing everything possible to innovate and reduce costs."
At this time, the industry is scrambling for construction deadlines, and projects The problem of quality decline is highlighted. The quality of photovoltaic components such as modules and inverters varies, and after they are installed at the project site, there are more problems throughout the entire field test. “It was only then that the industry realized the importance of quality.” Zhang Shengzhong said, “Although we had very high quality requirements before, we mainly controlled quality in general, such as selecting first-line parts manufacturers at home and abroad, inspecting factories and requiring manufacturers to Issue a test report and package the components in different parameters. "The problems that occurred in other companies gave Tebian an alarm and immediately decided to comprehensively upgrade the quality control system.
TBEA began to sign commitment contracts with partners on specific issues from the aspects of technology and procurement, requiring the other parties to ensure the quality of technology and key equipment. We have sorted out a number of key quality points for key equipment such as components and inverters, and sent personnel to the factory to supervise manufacturing to ensure that the quality of the entire process is "no dead ends."
As one of the three giants in China's photovoltaic EPC business at that time (the other two were Zhonghuan and Suntech), TBEA set up strict construction and acceptance standards. At the same time, it also had processes for project development, management and control, and third-party supervision. Detailed regulations were formulated. This set of standards has been continuously detailed and adjusted over the years and is still in use today.
The 2009 Golden Sun and Dunhuang concession bidding projects marked that China's photovoltaic development has entered the "fast lane". However, during this period, photovoltaic power station EPC was different from the mature component link, but similar to the inverter industry: rapid development but weak foundation. Through a large number of excellent EPC companies such as Tebian that are good at learning and pursue innovation, photovoltaic power station technology has also developed rapidly.
Soon, China accumulated a large number of large-scale ground photovoltaic power stations and began to explore the road to owning independent intellectual property rights.
A Year of Transcendence: Grid-connected Technology for Hundred-MW Large-Scale Photovoltaic Power Stations
In 2005, experts from the State Grid asked photovoltaic industry representatives: "What is a large-scale photovoltaic power station?" The photovoltaic representative thought for a while, gritted his teeth and said: "Photovoltaic power stations above 100kW are It can be considered a large-scale power station.”
In 2009, a large-scale off-grid accident occurred in wind power, which caused concerns inside and outside the industry about the grid connection of the photovoltaic industry. So four years ago, a topic was proposed in the 863 major project of the National Twelfth Five-Year Plan: research on large-scale photovoltaic grid-connected technology. With the booming photovoltaic power station business in China, the definition of large-scale photovoltaic power stations has been changed to 20MW-30MW. China's top photovoltaic experts unanimously believe that the scale of a single photovoltaic power station will exceed 100MW. The size difference between 100MW and 100kW is a thousand times, and the original standards are obviously no longer applicable. How can such a large-scale photovoltaic power station be connected to the grid and ensure power quality?
This topic is divided into two parts: the inverter and the power station as a whole. Several companies such as Kono and Longyuan started from the perspective of the inverter, and TBEA was appointed to study it. Zhang Shengzhong is the project leader for the overall system grid connection technology of 100 MW power stations. But just like the story of "The Art of Slaying the Dragon", the biggest difficulty is that until the project is approved, China does not have a 100MW photovoltaic power station. TBEA approached two central enterprises to cooperate, but in the end they were stranded due to various circumstances."Central-owned enterprises are more rigorous, and at that time they were selecting areas with the best resources for construction. They required investment in areas with more than 1,700 hours of investment, and it was too difficult to obtain such a large-scale target at the same time." Zhang Shengzhong recalled. Fortunately, TBEA has secured two 100MW projects in Hami, Xinjiang. They have invested a lot of money in basic experimental platform research in Hami Industrial Park, optimizing the design of photovoltaic power stations and making detailed arrangements for grid connection conditions. In-depth research has proposed many innovative methods.
In 2015, this project was successfully completed, and at this time the photovoltaic industry also happened to usher in a period of large-scale launch of 50MW-100MW photovoltaic power plants. At this time, TBEA was 2-3 years ahead of its time in researching large-scale ground power stations and became the undisputed leader in ground power stations.
Through this national-level project, TBEA has formed photovoltaic system design standards and achieved breakthroughs in key equipment. Some of the results are as follows:
has developed a set of professional software for photovoltaic system design. Before this, the design of photovoltaic power stations was carried out separately, requiring the cooperation of various departments. The new systematic layout, from drawing to drawing, automatically identifying contour lines based on topographic maps, greatly shortened the construction period.
has completed several empirical platforms such as oblique single-axis, flat single-axis, and dual-axis tracking systems and concentrated photovoltaic cells.
has completed the development of an inverter with a single unit power of more than 1MW. Promote large power stations to start considering grid friendliness to ensure the security and stability of the grid. TBEA has also jointly conducted research with China Electric Power Research Institute on the stability of photovoltaic power supply for high-speed rail operation.
At this point, China's photovoltaic industry's research and application plans for large-scale ground power stations have surpassed international giants in some aspects. They no longer copy foreign standards and specifications. China's photovoltaic industry has gradually moved from being the leader in scale to being the leader in technology.
A matrix-style "battle group" dedicated to fighting tough battles
Since 2011, the photovoltaic industry has concentrated on grid connection before key time nodes such as "630" and "1230" every year. Due to the complicated approval procedures for photovoltaic power stations and the difficulties in construction of some projects in winter, projects that need to be connected to the grid in June are often received around March. If the terrain conditions are more complicated, what everyone sees as a "hot potato" will become a "hot potato."
In March 2016, TBEA received two 200MW projects from customers. The entry date was set in April. In order to grab the "630" electricity price, these two projects must be completed before June 20. The land acquisition work for the design and construction of the outer line of the booster station has not been carried out, and there are also cases of local villagers maliciously obstructing the work. No one in the industry dares to take on the
project. However, due to the trust of customers, the leadership of TBEA instructed not only to advance the time to early June, but also to make the project an industry benchmark. "This is our old customer. As early as 2011 when we were competing for the '1230' electricity price, we had a lot of cooperation." Zhang Shengzhong said, "They believe that if there is another general contracting unit that can complete the project on time, it is Tebong. Electrician. "
In order to ensure that multiple power stations can be promoted simultaneously during the rush installation period, TBEA will routinely set up a project department for matrix management when implementing projects. Marketing, technology, budget and other personnel are organized into combat teams and hold morning meetings every day. Statistical problems in each project require immediate response and resolution by different departments to coordinate and promote, to avoid poor coordination and unclear responsibilities between different functional departments.
For these two projects in Ningxia, TBEA established a headquarters in Wuzhong and selected the most elite personnel from each department. They were all concentrated at the project site and all decisions were made on the spot. It took more than 50 days to complete the photovoltaic plant foundation, support construction and external booster station project. And all grid connection work was completed in early June.
"For so many years, we have promised our customers to connect to the grid on time, only in advance, without any delay." Zhang Shengzhong said proudly.
In a mountainous project of Shanxi China Power Investment Corporation of North China, the slope was relatively large, and the brackets were somewhat deformed after being installed. At that time, the power station was installed and the component square array was in a zigzag shape. After the problem was discovered, TBEA immediately rectified it, proposed a new plan and added additional components. A lot of cost to ensure the quality of the project.This has also allowed TBEA to accumulate rich experience in mountainous photovoltaic power stations. While many companies have no way of starting front-runner projects in complex terrains such as mountains and subsidence areas, TBEA is very familiar with it.
Trina Yunnan Jianshui 300MW photovoltaic power station project was divided into several phases of bidding, and TBEA undertook the first and second phases of the project. The project site is a karst landform, and traditional piles cannot be used. "At that time, we came up with many plans, but the machinery could not be used. We sent technicians to other projects in Yunnan to conduct inspections and benchmarks, and came up with various plans based on the topography. Use cast-in-place piles where they can be driven, and cast-in-place piles where they cannot be driven. We need to dig holes in the rocks, place steel bars, cement and concrete to reinforce them, and place piles outside,” Zhang Shengzhong recalled, “Especially the design part, it’s not like previous projects where we could do a lot of on-site design based on geological survey and mapping. The scale of the design measurement drawings is not very accurate, and the measured results in some local areas are inconsistent with the actual situation. Many drawings must be designed on-site. The brackets, columns, and beams are all designed on-site. "TBEA Electricians made adjustable brackets. Because of the foundation. When hit on rocks, they are not on the same plane, so the foundation heights are also different. In this case, make sure the assembly is flat once the adjustable stand is erected. “We looked at some piles made by feasibility study companies. They were all welded and the height was not adjustable. This method required a larger amount of on-site work.” In the end, Trina’s project was successfully completed and the satisfaction was very high.
Sailing overseas: Competing with top experts
In 2015, TBEA responded to the national “One Belt, One Road” plan and began to build large-scale photovoltaic power stations in Pakistan and other places. On May 5, 2015, the ribbon was cut for the completion of the 100MW solar photovoltaic power station of TBEA New Energy Company in Pakistan. This solar power station with an investment of US$215 million and an area of 1.4 square kilometers is the largest photovoltaic project in Pakistan and is located in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Nearby, a subsequent 700MW project is also being planned.
Most countries in Central Asia, and the Middle East lack talents in the photovoltaic industry, so most of them will ask European consulting companies to do preliminary consultation, project supervision and post-acceptance.
Pakistan’s 100MW solar photovoltaic power station EPC and operation and maintenance project is located in the QUAID-E-AZAM Photovoltaic Zone in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. It is the first overseas large-scale solar photovoltaic project undertaken by TBEA New Energy Company, and it is also the world’s largest single solar energy project. Photovoltaic power station, this project is of great significance to establishing the image of TBEA New Energy Company's overseas engineering projects.
Pakistan invited a German company to supervise this project. The rigorous Germans put forward strict requirements on whether the parts were on their internal short list, the raw materials of the component inverter, and the construction specifications. "The supervision unit of the Pakistan project is a German supervision company. They strictly control the time progress of the design work through the preparation of the project LOD design schedule, so that the number of design drawings can be more accurately standardized. This is what we do in domestic project design It is a problem that we rarely encounter and is worth learning and implementing as a reference,” said the head of the Pakistani project design.
"German supervisors will buy their own irradiators, surround them with fences and place them in the factory area to compare with the actual power generation of the power station." Zhang Shengzhong expressed admiration for the Germans' professionalism.
Although it encountered many challenges during the construction of the project in Pakistan, TBEA New Energy also gained valuable experience in the construction of overseas solar grid-connected power stations. TBEA New Energy Company completed the design work of 573 design drawings and the transportation of more than 800 boxes of container products in just a few months, ensuring the progress of the Pakistan project construction with high quality and efficiency.
In April 2015, the project was completed and all complied with European specifications. With the success of this project, TBEA decided to fully enter the overseas market. "The domestic photovoltaic market had a 100% growth in the past few years, but then the annual increase was not large. To continue to develop, we need to go global." Zhang Shengzhong said, "We have now fully deployed in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America and other markets. "
This represents the collision between the highest level management and control system of China's photovoltaic power plants and the top international standards.Overseas sailing has greatly improved the quality of construction projects of Chinese enterprises. Since then, the specifications of TBEA, which was already at the top level in the country, have been further refined. Taking component procurement as an example, corresponding specifications have been put forward for backplanes, EVA, ribbons, glass, and frames.
Down to the smallest detail: System-level leadership increases efficiency by 10%
In 2015, the Front Runner project began to be implemented, and the first batch settled in Datong. In addition to the requirements for components such as components and inverters, the Top Runner project also specifically proposes that the overall efficiency of the power station shall not be less than 81%.
"We actually started this project in 2013." Zhang Shengzhong told the author, "There are different opinions in the industry on how to define the efficiency of photovoltaic systems and how to detect it. Before the implementation of the Top Runner Plan, we proposed power generation calculations and promised power generation to the owners. "In early 2014, the author once attended a meeting in a western province. At the meeting, experts from TBEA introduced how to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic power plants to more than 80%. The industry said it was too high because it was common in the country at that time. It's 70%-75%. Where does the 10% higher come from? "It's down to the smallest detail."
This is the special answer. Zhang Shengzhong emphasized: "The overall efficiency of the power station is a matter of subtraction. Each link must be managed meticulously to reduce losses and avoid risks as much as possible." After the launch of the second phase of the
Front Runner project, TBEA won the bid for the Ruicheng 50MW , Yangquan 100MW, Xintai 100MW, Baotou 100MW, a total of 300MW power station investment, and Zhangze Electric Power’s 100MW EPC business.
To achieve system-level leadership, TBEA adopts three stages of refined management:
refined design: according to different terrains, different climates, and different resources, make corresponding solutions with optimal cost, highest power generation, and lowest cost per kilowatt hour. plan.
Refined selection and layout: Technicians should design the scale of the power generation unit according to the terrain conditions, and then configure the corresponding brackets, inverters, and components. At the same time, consider how to minimize losses in wires, cables, and collector lines? Square array scale How big is the most appropriate size?
refined comparison: Use various software to simulate the performance of different solutions and select the optimal solution.
's "down to the smallest detail" not only improves the efficiency of TBEA power stations, but also helps owners and their own projects avoid a lot of risks.
Zhang Shengzhong asked the author a question: "If you invest in a photovoltaic power station in the Gobi Desert, will you consider flood control issues?" Most owners do not consider flood control design at all when investing in Xinjiang, but in some special areas, there is a possibility of flooding. of. In addition, in the country's largest wind-solar complementary project located in Xiaozao Lake, Turpan, the wind speed can reach 30 meters/second. If the wind-resistant design of the photovoltaic power station is not done well, there is a possibility of overturning the entire photovoltaic power station. "That area was once overturned by the wind," Zhang Shengzhong said. "We built windshield nets on the west and north sides facing the wind. We made additional reinforcements on the foundation and strengthened the component fixing methods. Now there are strong winds every spring. We will all pay attention, there will be no problems.”
FR: Light Energy Magazine
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