The 2026 China ESG Gala, hosted by China Media Group, aired on the CCTV Finance Channel, bringing together leading voices in sustainability and corporate environmental, social and governance practice. Among the recognised participants, LONGi, identified as a China ESG Model Enterprise and Breakthrough Enterprise of the Year, used the platform to present its vision for technological innovation as a driver of global energy equity.
Founder and Chief Technology Officer Li Zhenguo took the stage carrying the gala signature Token of Native Land, a self developed Back Contact solar cell product from LONGi. He used the component as a physical representation of the company’s approach to innovation, linking product development to broader questions of sustainable development and equitable access to energy.
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Li stated that LONGi has consistently held the view that technological innovation is central to achieving energy equity. He outlined several international initiatives in which the company has deployed photovoltaic solutions to support underserved communities. In Brazil, LONGi has applied distributed solar systems to support residents in lower income communities, including displaced Indigenous populations, while also providing technical training aimed at improving long term livelihood opportunities through skills development in renewable energy.
In Malawi, LONGi’s solar solutions have been deployed to improve access to affordable electricity in rural areas, enabling children to study under electric lighting and improving educational conditions in off grid communities. Li noted that across different regions, the company seeks to ensure that clean energy access is accompanied by capacity building, reinforcing a broader model of sustainable development rather than simple infrastructure delivery.
He emphasised that Chinese solar enterprises are contributing not only clean electricity but also development opportunities, framing this as part of a long term global sustainability contribution.
During the presentation, Li used the Back Contact solar cell as a demonstration of the embedded environmental value of advanced photovoltaic manufacturing. He explained that producing a single cell from raw ore through polysilicon processing, ingot formation, wafer slicing, and final module assembly requires approximately two kilowatt hours of electricity. Over a 30 year lifecycle, the same module can generate about 235 kilowatt hours of electricity, representing more than a hundredfold energy output gain over its production input.
He further highlighted the system level implications of efficiency improvements. According to Li, Back Contact technology delivers 5% to 6% higher conversion efficiency compared to standard products. When applied at scale across China’s installed solar base of around 1 terawatt, this improvement could reduce land requirements by approximately 1,000 square kilometres. At a projected global transition scale of at least 10 terawatts of modules, the potential land saving could reach around 10,000 square kilometres, underscoring the strategic importance of efficiency gains in land constrained energy systems.
Li also addressed increasing competition within the global solar industry, noting that rapid technological iteration has intensified market pressure and driven what he described as hyper competition. He argued that sustainable competitiveness requires not only the ability to innovate but also the ability to protect and sustain innovation outcomes over time.
He described LONGi’s approach as building innovation that is both achievable and defensible, supported by a structured set of competitive barriers. These include strategic intellectual property deployment through patents, collaborative innovation with key suppliers secured through exclusive arrangements, confidential process design within production systems to protect core manufacturing knowledge, and targeted retention and care of technical talent to maintain institutional capability.
Li added that stronger regulatory alignment within the industry, combined with continued innovation under ESG principles, will help the sector move beyond excessive price driven competition towards a more sustainable growth model.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal

 






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