October 18, 2007 -- Henan's first building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar glass roof system was completed on October 1 in Luoyang. It is a result of the cooperation between Canadian Solar Inc. (CSI) and China's Luoyang Polysilicon Company; and was sponsored by Luoyang's Technology Development Fund.

The BIPV solar glass system covers 293 square meters of roof and is made of 120 modules. The system, which is installed into the facilities of the Research Department of Luoyang Polysilicon and the China National Silicon Materials Engineering Research Center is designed to provide 16863 kilowatts of power and reduce annual carbon emissions by over 20 tons.

"Currently Luoyang Polysilicon has a production capacity of 1000 tons. In 2008, the capacity will increase to 3000 tons; and at the same time, another facility will have a capacity of 2000 tons will be installed, and it is planned to go into operation by 2010," Dazhou Yan, project manager and deputy general manager of China Luoyang Polysilicon told Emerging China.

In the last few years, the demand for building-integrated photovoltaic panels has seen massive growth. According to statistics released by China Optics & Optoelectronics Manufacturers Association, in 2006, global demand for polysilicon was 36,000 tons, with a production capacity of 32,000 tons. This drove the price of polysilicon as high as US$60 a kilogram, a huge increase from US$9 per kilogram in 2000. In 2006 however, only 80 tons was been produced in China, while domestic demand was above 4000 tons.

A scientist specializing in polysilicons, who did not want to be named, told Emerging China, that while the advantages of investing in polysilicons is obvious, China stills has a long way to go in the development of its own polysilicon industry. Some of the polysilicon manufacturing technologies used in China are imported from Russia, which is not good in terms of the costs of energy and materials.

Yan says that Luoyang Polysilicon has built up its polysilicon manufacturing capacities, and he is confident about the future. He points to the advantages of the low local costs of electricity and water, as well as support from the national and local government.

Besides the newly completed 14 kilowatt BIPV project in Henan, CSI have also installed another 30 kilowatt BIPV power system in Inner Mongolia and a 10 kilowatt BIPV grid-connected power system in Jiangsu.

In mid-September, CSI signed another contract with the Suzhou government that states the company will help install a 300 kilowatt photovoltaic project on a site close to Taihu Lake Road, in Suzhou's High Technology Town. The construction area of the project will be 3000 square meters and it will have a service life of 25 years. The project is expected to cost about 17.65 million yuan (US$2.35 million).

These projects are in line with the government's long term energy strategy, which has aimed to install 300 megawatts of photovoltaics by 2010, and 1.8 megawatts by 2010.