Vision Apollo PV is a digital, distributed photovoltaic power station development and investment platform. It uses AI technology to drive asset formation and management, and innovation leads the industry. During the SNEC of 2018: Through the launch of the “Sunshine Partner” project to tap the value of the country's green roof, Promoting green energy; Announced the brand new feature of Apollo DATTM, the first distributed photovoltaic resource assessment and system design product in China; Introduced an integrated solution for hardware and software, Demonstrating the life cycle asset management system 'Apollo PV CloudTM' The latest results.
In this regard, the China Energy News reporter interviewed the visionary vice president, Sun Jie, general manager of Apollo PV business.
China Energy News: When it entered the photovoltaic field in that year, it chose to take a light asset digital asset management system. What new progress is currently in this field?
Sun Jie: The vision started with the development and manufacture of smart wind turbines and entered the new energy sector. However, when it entered the photovoltaic industry in 2014, it did not choose to take the road of equipment manufacturing, but chose to become a professional third-party service platform through the Apollo PV CloudTM. - Entered the industry from digital asset management services, and subsequently launched the Apollo Ratings TM, which primarily serves financial institutions.
We have found that the needs of financial customers are more to reduce investment risks, and often when most power plant projects give us a rating, they are already in a boat and many things cannot be changed. Therefore, market demand forces us to go ahead, When it does not become an asset, it will begin to intervene.
So we made an objective evaluation of resources, then we carried out system design, equipment selection and construction, selected suitable design institutes, EPC units, and equipment manufacturers. During this period, we cooperated with any high-quality company in the industry chain and passed Apollo photovoltaics. The technical standards and digital tools created by the platform will be integrated organically and end-to-end communication will be achieved. In this way, we will gradually open up the distributed photovoltaic development industry chain from resources to assets, thus forming our current 'distributed platform' model. At present, we serve more than 50 power station investors and financial institutions in China. The annual scale of distributed photovoltaic assets exceeds 1 GW.
China Energy News: For the ground-based power station can be completely 'end-to-end', then in the distributed field, the project is relatively decentralized, small-scale, how to achieve such a service?
Sun Jie: Since 2015, we have been focusing on the distributed direction. Apollo DATTM is aimed at distributed photovoltaic resource assessment and system design, and is also the domestic initiative. During the SNEC this year, we also released the first domestic application in distributed power plants. The technical solution of the designed drone's current survey and 3D digital reality modeling is achieved through the Apollo DATTM. We believe that China's distributed photovoltaic power station will begin to enter a new era of 3D digital reality modeling. !
Through the solution of drones surveying and 3D digital real-life modeling, we will significantly save manpower in resource assessment and system design, significantly increase design efficiency and design accuracy, and truly reduce costs and increase efficiency. Because we may no longer People need to climb the roof, even without professional attendance, as long as there is a skilled drone flyman to the scene to fly to shoot the scene image, the technician can be modeled by sitting back in the office through the image data brought back. These real, clear photos will soon be able to build a power plant model in the 3D world, and how to get the route, how to arrange the components, probably choose what brand, about the amount of power generation, how to return on investment. In the past, one This complete system design requires at least six hours or more, and using Apollo DATTM can be completed in as little as 25 minutes.
Moreover, in the traditional design, designers often use only the image information in front of them and ignore the time, size, latitude and longitude, and altitude information recorded behind them. These are hidden in the application of Apollo DATTM modeling. The data behind the aerial photos will be taken into account.
China Energy News: Is the roof resource for this product based on industry and commerce? How is it used in the household sector?
Sun Jie: At present, the target customer group of Apollo DATTM is mainly industrial and commercial. In fact, the market volume of roof photovoltaic systems in Chinese factories is very large, because the electricity price in China's industrial and commercial sectors is still relatively high, and factories are very motivated by using cheap Safe, environmentally-friendly green PV power to achieve a reduction in the cost of electricity.
Of course, the same unmanned aircraft survey and 3D digital real-world modeling technology can also be widely used in the household sector, and it will save time and effort, and create even greater value. We are now working with a well-known domestic developer in China. In cooperation, they took a look at the technical solution that combines drones and 3D modeling. Because it involves the household market, there are hundreds of roofs in a village, and the rural roof structure is very similar. After designing a roof, other roofs can be designed with fine-tuning, which greatly enhances overall efficiency and reduces design costs.
China Energy News: This is actually more effective for decentralized markets.
Sun Jie: This is the case. Especially in the past two years, no matter whether it is a centralized photovoltaic power plant or a large-scale onshore wind power project, approvals have been tightened. There are various challenges in terms of land, environmental protection, and approval of the power grid, so the market is now turning Distributed photovoltaic and offshore wind power. However, offshore wind power investment is large, the cost is high, and the cycle is long. Distributed photovoltaic is more timely.
Vision at the 2018 Shanghai International Solar Energy Exhibition (SNEC) site
In fact, for many large-scale state-owned enterprises, they are now even more focused on distribution. However, because the market is too fragmented, it may not be exactly in line with the 'traditional style of play' that SOEs like to use for large power stations. This creates market space for us. For example, the vision Apollo PV platform is responsible for a series of tedious work such as resource acquisition, resource assessment, system design, etc. Through innovative technical means, digital, intelligent methods to improve efficiency, and quickly form high-quality assets. After a certain amount of volume, our high-quality assets are packaged and sold to power station investors. At this time, power plant investors need only to purchase secure, reliable, and scaled assets on our platform. Prospects Apollo The work of the PV platform is to help the power plant investors to integrate the “silver scraps” of these places into a “multiple, fast, good, and provincial” form to form a block of high-value 'silver bullets'. This requires a strong resource integration capability. With strong technology and digital capabilities to support and protect.
The vision of Apollo photovoltaic platform precisely has the industry's leading digital solutions and technical standards. Vision Apollo photovoltaic platform is also because of the neutral identity of a professional third party, can cooperate in the best partners in the entire industry chain. Build a strong ecosystem.