More than 6,000 solar water heaters compete or meet death batch

[REVIEW] June 5, Hubei Laohekou Hankou Road, identified as a \"flying sun\" brand solar water heater stands in the street a small upstairs floor, midday sunlight on it, came a little bit of gold, eye-catching.

      June 5, Hubei Laohekou Hankou Road, identified as a \"flying sun\" brand solar water heater stands in the street a small upstairs floor, midday sunlight on it, came a little bit of gold, striking .

However, all this only proves that \"flying sun\" ever existed.

\"We have not done a water heater, quit the industry.\" Fei Yang Hubei original solar technology company sales manager Chen Yang told reporters, because competition is too intense solar water heater industry, the company was forced to declare the establishment of less than two years out of the market.

Old River is a relatively remote northwestern Hubei county-level city, population of just over 500,000. \"But on such a small place, there are at least seventy-eight engaged in solar energy plant.\" Chen Yang said that due to the influx of business too, we are unprofitable.

And this is just a microcosm of the solar industry frenzy. Data shows that currently there were up to more than 6,000 solar water heater business, of which nearly 80% are SMEs, and even a large part of the family-owned business.

As \"tailor-made shoes,\" as do the water heater

Two years ago, when Chen Yang determined to enter the solar water heater industry, he seems to see the blossoming future. With the global traditional energy supply has become tighter, new energy is not only sought after by many companies, but also by state and governments at all levels attach great importance to the solar industry in particular, which has become widely accepted.

In 2009, the state will include solar water heaters, home appliances catalog, which greatly promoted the development of this industry. This year, 92 countries in the original 79 new successful enterprises, a total of 171. And some provinces are also positive action, pushing the solar industry.

Precisely because of this, solar water heaters in the rural markets of the growth spurt, the industry is booming. Meanwhile, the city and other rural areas without restrictions, installation of a more casual, there was no floor is too high water pressure and inadequate technical aspects. Chen Yang can see the advantage when the time, more people in the industry have seen. Inadequate industry standards, and low barriers to entry factors make more and more companies flooded, scraping the limited market share.

The working principle of solar water heater is relatively simple, the use of solar thermal collector tube into, and through the heat insulating layer of water can be. According to one anonymous industry insiders, a set of tens of thousands of dollars of equipment plus five people, we can produce solar water heaters, but the quality is talked about how bad. Industry\\ s low threshold for many companies there are no obstacles to entering this field, part of the workshop-type enterprises as it is able to \"tailor-made shoes,\" as-made solar water heaters.

Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Hubei Huan Xiang Wang Huan sales manager told reporters that the company was established in October 2009, but the harsh competition in the market, numerous difficulties, the product is not known, there is no price advantage, it is difficult to obtain consumer recognition.

Reporters in Hubei Laohekou a \"tailor-made solar production base\" to see, less than 40 square meters of workshop filled with all kinds of solar water heaters, semi-finished products, two simple production equipment was hung in the middle of the room. Outside, several brands of paste prepared to sell the finished product. The business owners told reporters that they can customized according to customer\\ s different needs of solar water heaters.

Reporters noted that neither the solar water heater production date, no manufacturer name, but no certificate of quality, with only a name to distinguish it from other brands. I understand that this is just a way to meet customer needs is based on the number of solar water heater collector tubes to determine the price. A tube 180, the price will be high to buy, buy less price is low.

When a reporter asked to have quality assurance, the owner of confidence that the quality is absolutely no problem, \"do not win the Emperor Ming not money.\"

Industry standard is to make this industry was mixed too low, companies of varying quality. China\\ s solar water heater industry is not implemented in production license system, and without going through the compulsory 3C certification. In the case of imperfect standard, many companies do not produce qualified were removed from them.

2007 drafted by some industry experts, \"China\\ s solar thermal industry standard Texas proposal\" has been signed; April 2010 by the Haier and other domestic and foreign suppliers, together with China Household Electrical Appliances Association, China Quality Association, the Consumers Association and other co-founded China\\ s first \"solar Quality Alliance.\" The solar industry in maintaining the normal order of a certain positive, but the industry generally believe that in the absence before the introduction of new national standards, industry status quo to change.

Solar water heater industry standards are GB/T19141-2003 \" system technical conditions\", GB/T18708-2002 \"domestic thermal performance test method\", while the national standard is too low, such as the national standard only provides a water heater\\ s pressure ability, did not make provision for corrosion resistance, and the welds are particularly vulnerable to corrosion leaks; the other hand, lack of industry standards, such as the national standard for outdoor piping did not make the relevant provisions, and winter management Road were frozen situation have occurred.

Low threshold and lack of industry standards resulting in solar water heater industry into a disorderly competition, some companies tend to use low prices of raw materials for production, and then sold at low prices.

The role of the superposition of multiple factors, the growth of solar amazing the number of firms, to Jiaxing, Zhejiang, for example, the region only in the first quarter of 2009 new solar thermal more than 300 enterprises, collector tube production line in the original 325, based on the expansion produced nearly 100. The solar water heater production to the national rate of 30% annual growth. Huang Ming Solar Energy Co., only a company\\ s annual promotion of collector area on the mounting area equivalent to the sum of the entire European Union, North America twice.

Price war intensified a crisis of survival

More than 170 businesses and thousands of successful countryside non-successful companies, coupled with Trade and Industry Bureau registration number has not been a small workshop enterprise, limited scraping is resorted to every means of solar water heater market, the declining trend in overall industry performance has gradually taken shape.

      Sell ??high price, low price of the non-profit – this is one of many small and medium enterprises are generally solar water heater problems. A large part of the business model still in the market based on selling, no brand, no channels, lack of personnel and financial resources. In order to obtain respite, enterprises have to continue to fight the price, in order to reduce production from the deposit.

\"Low-end products are not sold well in the past.\" Zhejiang Jiaxing Solar Energy Industries Association a staff member surnamed Fan told reporters, because the influx of too much business and industry disorderly competition, and many other reasons, Jiaxing City, generally to reduce the solar energy business production, reduce production capacity, etc. deal with increasingly fierce market competition. He also confirmed to reporters to say the large-scale price war, saying a large number of small and medium enterprises or workshops to obtain a price war can only rely on the chance of survival.

According to industry analysts, due to recent rapid increase in solar water heater business, substantial growth in production capacity, but the corresponding market is not expanding. At the same time, by the Northwest such as drought and rainy weather in the south of the impact of consumer demand for solar water heaters are subject to certain degree of inhibition. Many enterprises struggle a bowl, will grab the wall.

\"The market is too small, but too much competition.\" Chen Yang told reporters in front of the raging tide of competition, in addition to cut-off than no better alternative. But also Wang Huan efforts, this time he had to use the weekend to keep contact agents, in order to get distorted.

According to relevant data, currently almost 80% of solar water heaters are varying degrees of declining sales, inventories and other issues, many of them as Hubei Fei Yang was forced to stop production of solar technology companies such enterprises.

In the high homogeneity of solar water heaters, there are no outstanding advantages, not only selected the core technology companies to reduce production costs to respond to repeated price wars. This will not only further exacerbated the extent of the cruelty of competition, there is also the part of the solar water heater leaking, no water, a lot of pressure and poor quality. According to reporter understood the complaints about the high rate of solar water heaters, and even consumers to reflect, water heater bought only one day on the water leaked inside a.

Guangzhou Institute of Energy researcher Dr. Xu Gang told reporters: \"cut-off because the company\\ s technical content is too low, they can do all you can do, the market is a bit confusing. Product quality is not, will not work in all aspects , slowly out of the market, the loss of customers. \"

Solar water heaters use a single large

China\\ s solar thermal technology research began in the 1970s, when research and development of solar water heaters, solar cookers and other related products began in the rural market. The 1980s, solar water heaters are included in the national \"Plan\" and the \"Plan\" scientific and technological projects. In the 1990s, our own design and matching collector tube production line, marking China\\ s solar water heater technology to mature. However, until today, China\\ s solar water heater industry is still the main focus in the development of this area.

In fact, the use of solar energy water heater is much more than one area. At present our country in solar lights, , solar stoves as well as applications such as solar building there is a certain development. But the embarrassing reality is that in the eyes of many people, solar energy equivalent to solar water heaters.

China has been the use of solar energy water heater only one. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association\\ s statistics, as early as 2007, China\\ s solar water heater production accounted for more than 7 percent of world production, production and use of solar water heaters to become superpower. However, the overall use of solar energy on our performance is not satisfactory. Although China has the world\\ s largest solar photovoltaic products manufacturing base, but the installed capacity of PV power generation system production capacity of less than 2%. Solar power generation there is a large gap between the more developed countries. Electricity costs are high, the lack of core technologies have affected the development of the industry. The solar building, solar street lamps, and other fields, has been because of technical and cost reasons, not been able to achieve industrialization.

As a result, many companies can only spotlight the threshold is low, a simple water heater technology, in this \"look beautiful\" in the industry to further expand production capacity, staking their claims, and ultimately thousands of companies trapped in this small space difficult to break.

\"In fact, small business shutdown of the entire solar energy industry is a good thing.\" Dr. Xu Gang that these low-tech, poor product quality solar products to be eliminated on the sound development of the whole industry is positive. For the future direction of development of solar energy companies, industry experts generally believe that the expansion of product areas, while branding is a priority. \"Solar water heater companies in order to win in the fierce competition, the only brand created from the start.\" Ebb Tide like shuffling through, not the core competitiveness of enterprises must be out, left behind is in the brand, technology, channels and so has a specific advantage of the enterprise.

Laohekou Solar Technology Co., Ltd. Australia match column Ba Jin also believe that only have their own brand, in order to enable enterprises to take a favorable position in the market.

However, more than 6,000 enterprises, more than 6,000 brands to create easier said than done? Their is not much time left, now it seems the entire solar industry still can not afford to escape this fate: in the water heater of this \"dead end\" in the melee continued, and then wait for the death of business volume.