In a recent interview with CCTV, Dr. Chuan Lu, Chairman & CEO of Astronergy, shared valuable insights into the current state of the solar industry and outlined Astronergy's strategy for addressing ongoing challenges.  

Over the past 20 years, the solar industry in China has experienced rapid growth and achieved remarkable success. However, the solar industry is now facing cyclical ebbs and flows with challenges such as volatile prices, uncertainties in global trade policies, tightening financing, etc.

Dr. Lu characterized the situation as “growing pains,” reflecting the industry’s transition from infancy to adolescence. He emphasized that the cyclical fluctuations primarily stem from mismatches between production capacity and demand. The unique nature of the solar industry is that its end products are not consumables but long-term fixed assets. Therefore, companies should focus more on long-term strategic planning and effective cost control, rather than simply waiting for the market to recover.

Why does Astronergy maintain a robust development despite the current market difficulties? Dr. Lu outlined a "3D" strategy:

• Differentiation: Except for competitive pricing, Astronergy also offers other values to clients through higher product efficiency and reduced LCOE.
• Downstream: Astronergy expands into downstream businesses to balance the entire value chain and ensure financial stability.
• Diversification: Astronergy has a complete industry chain layout, with investment in PV modules, PV cells, upstream raw materials, and downstream inverters. This will bring the company more resilience against market cycles.

In addition, Dr. Lu stressed the importance of industry self-discipline in navigating the current cycle. For the private sector, enterprises should reasonably control expansion and pricing strategy to avoid unnecessary losses. For the public sector, he called for collaboration among industry associations and regulatory bodies to accelerate the development of proactive capacity layout and pricing mechanisms.

In conclusion, Dr. Lu expressed Astronergy's commitment to reshaping the global energy landscape through collaborative partnerships and powering a sustainable world where everyone wins.