(Yicai) Oct. 25 -- Africa, with its vast open spaces and abundant sunshine not to mention its recurring electricity shortages, is proving to be a market with great potential for Chinese photovoltaic companies, industry insiders said at a recent forum.

Africa’s large tracts of land and long hours of sunshine lay a firm foundation for the development of PV power generation, Lu Chuan, president of solar panel producer Chint Solar, said at the second China-EU-Africa Green Energy Development Forum.

Due to the electricity shortages in many African countries, demand for solar panels and energy storage batteries has soared in recent years.

Chint, which entered the African market in 2013, recently won the bidding for an Algerian solar farm. The Wenzhou-based firm started off with an office in South Africa and has since expanded into Morocco and Egypt.

Jinko Solar, the world’s biggest solar panel maker, bagged a contract on April 29 to supply 25 megawatt of the latest N-type TOPCon PV modules to the Oshivela project in Namibia, Africa’s first decarbonized iron plant, for the first phase of using solar energy to produce hydrogen.

And in June, lithium producer Tongwei Group said it is linking arms with the United Arab Emirates’ renewable energy developer AMEA Power to build a 140 MW ground-mounted photovoltaic project.

“China's wind power, solar power and energy storage companies are playing an important role in Africa’s energy transition,” said Qian Jing, vice president of Shanghai-based Jinko Solar. “Over the years, they have helped African countries develop renewable energies through technologies and product exports, project cooperation, financial support, personnel training, and innovative applications.”

In the future, it will be necessary to establish a platform for people-to-people dialogue as well as mechanisms to reduce trade barriers, said Chint Chairman Nan Cunhui. There should also be a cross-border technology exchange and cooperation mechanism to deepen technical partnerships and strengthen tie-ups in energy-related finance and trade.

Editor: Kim Taylor