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The 2024 Bo’ao Forum for Asia Annual Conference convened in China’s southern island of Hainan, with the theme “Asia and the World: Common Challenges, Shared Responsibilities”. Zhong Baoshen, Chairman of LONGi, a global leading renewable energy company, attended multiple events including the Energy Low-carbon Transformation Forum, China-Europe CEO Dialogue and China-Australia CEO Roundtable. Zhong shared LONGi’s vision and solutions from the renewable energy sector on promoting international cooperation, global energy transition, and low-carbon development.
In the face of mounting climate change and environmental threats, nations around the globe are urgently calling for an accelerated global energy transition. At the 2024 BFA annual conference, Zhong Baoshen said “given the different development paths of various economies, it is necessary to consider the differences in resource endowments and development stages while promoting energy transition to ensure sustainable economic, environmental, and social development”.
Mr. Zhong joined the discussion at the Energy Low-carbon Transformation Forum on March 29. Zhong pointed out that LONGi advocates for international cooperation and global energy equity. “Countries should encourage and support R&D to improve energy efficiency and develop clean energy. The process of energy transition can be accelerated through international cooperation and experience sharing. This includes sharing best practices with other countries, cooperating on innovative energy R&D projects, and jointly addressing global climate change”, added Zhong.
“Solar power is now the most economical clean power in the world”, Zhong said, “With the continuous advancement of PV technology, reduction of costs, and the expansion of production capacity, the challenges brought to the energy system by the intermittency and discontinuity of solar power will be gradually overcome”. “As solar PV technology advances, the global energy landscape is poised for a transformation, with the industry shifting from a dependence on resources to sustainable manufacturing”, Zhong stressed.
The panel also discussed about the resilience of energy supply and electricity supply systems in the face of increasing extreme weather conditions. Zhong Baoshen said “when it comes to extreme weather events, the resilience of energy supply and power systems can vary quite a bit from country to country and region to region. Overall, some areas may have already built up a certain level of resilience, but there are still challenges in other places.”
LONGi signed a global partnership agreement with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in 2023. In 2022, the number of people displaced by weather-related disasters reached a record 31.8 million worldwide, with 40% of refugees living in highly climate-vulnerable host countries. Climate change is exacerbating other factors that lead to displacement, such as increased poverty, food insecurity, water scarcity, and access to other natural resources that communities depend on. 85% of the displaced population in refugee camps burn biomass, such as firewood, for cooking, and about 97% have no or limited access to electricity.
Benefiting from the technological progress of the photovoltaic industry, the cost of solar power has dropped by 85% since 2010. “With the application of advanced technologies and breakthroughs in new technologies, the cost of photovoltaic power generation will continue to decline in the future. Solar power, as the most economical energy source for the vast majority of countries in the world, is affordable for everyone. It seems that there is a new solution to the problem of global energy equity”.
Zhong Baoshen said: “On the journey to solve the global energy problem and promote the realization of global energy equity, LONGi is willing to innovate and work together with countries and regions all over the world to continuously break through the limits of commercial application of solar energy”.
China and Europe have both formulated overall goals for green development, but there are still challenges in the cooperation between China and Europe in developing a green economy, such as carbon barriers, the imperfect development of the international carbon market, and global energy uncertainties. On March 28, Zhong Baoshen attended the China-Europe CEO Dialogue and joined in the discussions on how to deepen the cooperation between China and Europe in energy transformation and climate action.
Zhong said “China and Europe, as comprehensive strategic partners and important economic entities in the world, share many common visions in coping with climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. China and Europe should strengthen their cooperative dialogue, and the two sides can jointly promote the mechanism construction of clean energy cooperation at the international level, including establishing multilateral cooperation platforms, sharing research findings and experiences, promoting the development of clean energy, and helping global climate action.”
Attending the China-Australia CEO Roundtable for the second consecutive year, Zhong said the healthy and stable development of China-Australia trade ties is of great importance for companies in the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of energy cooperation, Australia and China have maintained good cooperation in both the traditional energy sector and the renewable energy sector represented by solar PV.
LONGi entered the Australian market in 2017. In 2019, LONGi officially established LONGi Australia in Sydney, with a local team that can provide services to customers of various types, including household, commercial and industrial and large-scale PV power stations.
It is reported that Australia is becoming one of the world’s largest residential and commercial rooftop photovoltaic markets. Australia also has the highest penetration rate of household solar energy, with more than 3 million Australian households have rooftop PV power stations. In 2023, solar energy accounted for 26% of Australia’s electricity. It is estimated that by 2030, Australia will have 16GW of utility-scale solar power in operation.
Zhong Baoshen said LONGi is optimistic about the future of the Australian photovoltaic market and hopes that the Australian government will continue to increase its efforts to promote the healthy development of PV sector. “Australia is one of the most promising markets in the Asia Pacific region, and LONGi has ambitious goals in Australia”, added Zhong. |
