On August 4, 2025, The Yangtze Institute for Solar Technology (YIST) and KEQIANG GUFEN jointly held the signing and unveiling ceremony of the "Joint Laboratory for PV-Storage-Intelligent Connection Technology" in Xuxiake Town, Jiangyin City. This cooperation is not only an important practice of the in-depth integration of industry, academia and research, but also highlights YIST's core positioning as an industry technology transformation and collaborative innovation platform. By integrating scientific research resources and enterprise advantages, it injects new impetus into the high-quality development of the photovoltaic and energy storage industries.
In-depth Alignment of Technical Accumulation and Industrial Needs:
The Laboratory Focuses on Five Major Innovation Directions
At the beginning of the event, all guests visited the exhibition hall of KEQIANG GUFEN. Yin Haigang, General Manager of KEQIANG GUFEN, gave a detailed introduction to the company's more than 20 years of technical accumulation in the field of special rubber materials. Through physical displays and technical explanations, he comprehensively presented the company's innovative achievements in core products such as silicone plates for PV module laminators, train windshield fabrics, and tank rubber sealing components. These special rubber products, with their key performance advantages such as weather resistance and sealing performance, have been widely used in new energy, rail transit, petrochemical and other fields, laying a solid industrial foundation for the laboratory's technological research.
Subsequently, Xu Jianmei, Director of the PV Application Research Institute of YIST, systematically elaborated on the cooperation content and development plan of the joint laboratory. Focusing on the technical upgrading needs of the entire PV-storage industry chain, the laboratory will build a trinity innovation system of "materials-systems-scenarios": break through the bottleneck of long service life of PV-storage equipment through innovation in key material systems and research on environmental adaptability; create systematic solutions covering the entire process of new energy production, storage and application relying on integrated verification of multi-scenario technical routes; simultaneously promote the research and development of green manufacturing and new power system integration technologies to help the industry achieve leapfrog development from single product innovation to full value chain collaborative upgrading.
"The laboratory will take actual industrial needs as the anchor to open up the innovation closed loop of 'basic research-pilot incubation-industrial transformation'," Xu Jianmei emphasized. Through this systematic innovation model, it will effectively promote the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies and market applications, providing sustainable technical support for the high-quality development of the industry.
Signing and Unveiling Mark the Launch of Collaboration:
YIST Fulfills Its Mission of "Technology Transformation Services for the Entire Industry"
Witnessed by all parties, Xu Jianmei, Director of the PV Application Research Institute, and She Jiandong, Chief Technical Officer of KEQIANG GUFEN, signed a cooperation agreement on behalf of both sides. Subsequently, Li Yi, Director of Jiangyin Science and Technology Bureau, and Shen Hui, Director of YIST, jointly unveiled the laboratory, marking the official operation of this innovation platform focusing on key technologies of PV-storage integration.
During the exchange session after the signing ceremony, Shen Hui, Director of YIST, clearly stated the core positioning of the platform: "The Institute has always adhered to the principles of 'not competing with universities for fame, not competing with enterprises for profits, focusing on technology transformation, and serving industry enterprises', so that scientific research results can truly take root in the industrial soil." He emphasized that YIST will give full play to its professional advantages in solar PV technology research and development, standard formulation, testing and certification, and form a complementary "scientific research-industry" synergy with KEQIANG GUFEN's profound accumulation in the field of special materials to jointly tackle key technical problems in PV-storage integration. "Our goal is to become a 'bridge' for industry technology transformation. Through models such as jointly building laboratories with enterprises, we will transform basic research results from universities and research institutes into industrializable technical solutions to meet the innovation needs of the entire industry."
Resonance Between Enterprise Innovation Momentum and Industry Service Platform:
Building a Demonstration Benchmark for PV-Storage Integration
Zhou Ming, Chairman of KEQIANG GUFEN, said at the ceremony that this in-depth collaboration with YIST is a key layout for the company's strategic extension into the new energy field. "The company will invest high-quality R&D resources to focus on overcoming application bottlenecks of special rubber materials in PV module encapsulation, energy storage system sealing and other fields, promoting dual breakthroughs in material performance and cost." He emphasized that the laboratory will become the core carrier for KEQIANG GUFEN to build an innovation chain of "basic research-pilot incubation-industrial transformation". It plans to build PV-storage integrated new energy demonstration application points and green factory benchmarks within 3 years, providing replicable integrated "materials+technology+scenarios" solutions for the industry.
As an important practice of industry collaborative innovation, the establishment of the laboratory has received active support from the local government. Chen Yi, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Yunting Sub-district, said that it will provide all-round guarantees for the laboratory, solve practical problems in the process of scientific research and transformation, and help it become an innovation model of "serving the industry in the region and radiating the whole country in the industry".
Leading Industry Collaborative Innovation:
Injecting "Technological Fresh Water" into the Yangtze River Delta Energy Industry Cluster
The establishment of the Joint Laboratory for PV-Storage-Intelligent Connection Technology is a vivid manifestation of YIST's positioning of "serving the industry and empowering the industry". By integrating YIST's industry resources in technology research and development, standard formulation, testing and certification, and KEQIANG GUFEN's industrial advantages in the field of special materials, the laboratory will focus on core areas such as PV module encapsulation material upgrading, energy storage system safety protection, and distributed PV-storage integrated application, accelerating the transformation of technological achievements from "laboratories" to "production lines".
In the future, the laboratory will not only help Jiangyin build a highland for the photovoltaic industry and Wuxi build a demonstration site for new energy "application scenarios", but also radiate the photovoltaic and energy storage industries in the Yangtze River Delta and even the whole country through technology output and experience sharing, providing key support for building an industry innovation ecosystem of "scientific research-led, industry-dominated, and collaborative win-win". As Shen Hui said: "YIST will always be guided by industry needs, let scientific research results truly take root in the industrial soil, and contribute the 'Yangtze River Delta Plan' to the high-quality development of China's new energy industry."
Shen Hui: Thoughts on Cooperation with Keqiang
Technology empowers industries to thrive,
Strengthening the nation and enriching the people as we chase the sun's drive.
With high spirits we gather in Yunting bright,
New dawns rise daily over beautiful Chengjiang's light.