People who believe that photovoltaic power generation will end in failure may always ask: What if there is no sun? And even if they, steel profile suppliers listen to the answer “because there is a reasonably priced storage technology, it is not a problem”, it will turn a deaf ear. Affordable energy storage technology has indeed become a trend. Because there is no support for storage devices, it is difficult to increase the penetration rate of photovoltaic power generation. Therefore, ensuring low-cost storage technology is a top priority for increasing the penetration rate of photovoltaic power generation. If the primary issue is not solved, the photovoltaic power generation rate will only stay at around 20-30%, but the battery-based storage technology can increase the penetration rate to 70%.

Nowadays, the development speed of lithium-ion battery technology and photovoltaic technology has been continuously increased, and rapid development has been achieved. Like all other technologies, the development of the market itself and the increasing technological learning in response to the trend have led to a sharp decline in costs. The difference between the two is that solar energy has no supply and demand for raw materials; lithium-ion batteries will encounter a little difficulty in the supply and demand of raw materials. Lithium-ion batteries generally use cobalt as a material, and most of the world’s cobalt is currently from Congo (Gold). But the problem is that the political situation and social security in the Congo are very unstable.

Global lithium resource reserves can be used for about 20 to 30 years. The LUT model also considers the growth rate of storage media, so it is necessary to find alternatives for battery production at some point during the transition period. At the same time, the model also takes the premise of reusing a considerable portion of lithium batteries, so battery recycling is indispensable, and everyone must not forget.

Both development and evolution:

Photovoltaic power generation has a significant share of the renewable energy industry in major developed countries, but the penetration rate is still lower than natural gas. In Germany, photovoltaic power generation accounts for 7% of annual electricity demand, Italy 10%, and California and Hawaii photovoltaic power generation each account for 20% and 25%.

In line with the increasing consumption trend, the way of using solar power, storage and consumption is also constantly upgrading. As mentioned earlier, batteries are key to ensuring flexibility in the energy supply network. It is predicted that solar energy may also affect heating energy. Most of the heating demand is concentrated in the cold winter, while the winter sun is weaker. The absolute demand for 24 hours of uninterrupted heating is mostly in the industrial sector, and this demand exists for a whole year regardless of the season. Therefore, relying on appropriate storage technology, the space for solar energy to contribute to heating should be large. Research is currently being carried out by models, and photovoltaic power generation in heating is expected to grow to the size of Taiwa.