Phase change energy storage technology breaks through the photovoltaic "winter"

On November 16, the 2011 Shanghai International Solar Photovoltaic Expo kicked off at the Shanghai World Expo Theme Pavilion. This exhibition brought together hundreds of domestic and foreign solar energy companies. Among the many exhibitors, the phase change energy storage technology advocated by Huangming Solar Energy (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. aroused extensive discussion among the guests and visitors and became a hot topic.

At the technical exchange seminar, Dr. Su Shuqiang, General Manager of Huangming Shanghai Company, used the change in the form of ice and water as an example to explain the basic principle of phase change energy storage technology: the transformation process between ice and water is actually a phase change process. In this process, although the form of the object changes from solid to liquid, the temperature remains constant. Therefore, the basic principle that distinguishes phase change energy storage technology from other energy storage technologies is that it absorbs and stores huge energy through the change of physical form while keeping the temperature constant.

Based on phase change energy storage technology, Huangming Shanghai Company has developed related products in many fields. Taking the solar greenhouse as an example, Dr. Su Shuqiang introduced the application prospects of phase change energy storage technology in the agricultural field: the greenhouse itself is a large solar heat collector, which forms a greenhouse effect by absorbing sunlight and retaining infrared radiation. At this time, the role of phase change energy storage technology is that it can collect the excess solar heat in the greenhouse during the day and the low temperature at night, so as to release cold when hot and heat when cold, and maintain the constant temperature of the greenhouse. In Xinjiang, due to the large temperature difference between day and night, phase change energy storage can be more useful. In the future, solar greenhouses will help reduce agricultural costs with the advantages of zero emissions and zero energy consumption, and build a composite system of solar energy storage and biological intelligence.

Dr. Su Shuqiang believes that due to irrational production and consumption, China's photovoltaic industry is about to enter a "winter". With the emergence of overproduction caused by blindly launching projects, both the photovoltaic and solar thermal industries have entered a bottleneck period; at the same time, due to the anti-dumping boycott of the US market, the price of photovoltaics in China has dropped by half. This turning point also means a new starting point. Only by taking the lead in achieving major technological breakthroughs can enterprises survive the winter and continue to survive. At present, composite technology and integrated technology will become the top priority for the development of solar energy enterprises in the future.

The regeneration, storage and conservation of clean energy are the three components of the clean energy system. Since the supply and use of energy are misaligned in time and space, energy storage technology has become a very important part of this system. Phase change energy storage technology can reduce costs by collecting low-quality thermal energy and improving photovoltaic utilization, which can bring more benefits to enterprises.