A proven approach
Since 2003, we have been dedicated to helping international companies assess and secure opportunities in the Chinese energy markets. In effect, we are the first firm to have completed comprehensive technical and commercial due diligences for two offshore wind farms in China.
We have an excellent portfolio of projects, ranging from wind and PV curtailment forecasts to grid reform studies to li-ion battery application modeling. To see what else we have worked on, scroll through our list of selected references below.
Past Projects
Energy Storage Application Modeling, Market Entry, Partnership BD
Client: Samsung SDI is a leading manufacturer of rechargeable batteries for IT industry, automobiles and energy storage systems (ESS), as well as cutting-edge materials used to produce semiconductors, displays, and solar panels.
About:Azure helped Samsung SDI design and implement a market entry strategy for deploying li-ion batteries in the Chinese grid-scale energy storage market. The work consisted of detailed application modeling and market forecasting towards selecting most attractive segments, scouting of 100 potential strategic partners, setting up meetings and initial discussions with management of the top 10 best fit companies and securing cooperation MoUs with two of the selected partners. The project resulted in the creation of a $170 million JV between Samsung and Sungrow, China's leading PV inverter and energy storage PCS supplier.
Service:Research and Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, Strategy, Business Development.
Offshore Wind Technical Due Diligence
Client: EDF Renewables is a French renewable energy group that develops, builds and operates clean energy power plants in more than 20 countries. Since 2017, the company has been looking at opportunities to invest in offshore wind farms in China, in various stages of development and construction.
About:Azure provided detailed technical due diligences of several offshore wind farms and supported technical discussions between EDF Renewables and its Chinese partners and suppliers.
Related link: http://www.azure-international.com/en/news/china-cleantech-news/516-china-cleantech-update-april-01-2019.html
Service:Research and Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, Due Diligence, Engineering Support.
PMG Technology and Partnership Development
Client: Boulder Wind Power (BWP) is a U.S. Colorado based company which has developed a unique wind turbine permanent magnet generator technology with radical improvement over competing systems in capital cost and energy conversion efficiency.
About:Azure provided commercial, project management and technical support in the process of identifying and securing strategic go-to-market partners in China as well as developing and integrating the BWP generator technology within the wind turbine system of selected partner, China's leading WTG supplier Goldwind.
Service:Research and Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, Strategy, Engineering Support, Procurement, Business Development, Commercial Support.
China PV Curtailment Regional Risk Assessment
Client: IFC, a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. In the renewable energy sector, IFC focuses on developing first-of-a-kind projects that demonstrate technical feasibility, attract additional private financing and encourage key policy reforms.
About:Azure studied the risk of solar power curtailment across eight regions in China in the 2014-2030 timeframe. The work relied on significant data resources, included modeling of generation and transmission dispatch with provincial-level resolution, and provided a quantitative ranking of attractive regions based on curtailment and subsidy redistribution risks.
Service:Research and Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, Due Diligence.
Fixed Offshore Wind Foundation Design Support
Client: LOC is an independent marine and engineering consultancy and survey organization, providing high quality services to the shipping and offshore energy industries.
INNOSEA is a EU based company offering technical expertise and multidisciplinary engineering services for marine renewable energy systems and production farms.
SIDRI is a design and research institute originally established by the Hydropower General Administration of the Ministry of Fuel Industry to undertake the Xin’an River Planning Survey and Design Task, more than 40 large and medium hydropower projects, and a number of water conservancy project design tasks, among other projects throughout China.
Goldwind is a world leading wind turbine technology and energy solutions provider focusing on wind power system solutions, renewable energy, and innovative businesses and incubation.
About:Azure has worked in consortium with INNOSEA to deliver offshore wind foundation design services and customized software to Chinese design institutes and wind turbine manufacturers including Shanghai Investigation Design and Research Institute (SIDRI) and Goldwind.
Service:Engineering Support, Business Development, Commercial Support.
Floating Wind Technical Interface Management
Client: Hexicon is a Stockholm-based design and engineering house dedicated to developing projects and technology for floating multi-turbine platforms. The platforms consist largely of proven technology from the offshore Oil and Gas Industry and are considered semi-submersible technology.
About:Azure provided commercial, project management and technical support for the integration of the floater turbine system for a demonstration project, covering key interfaces such as load calculations, performance, certification and planning.
Service:Engineering Support
Wind and Solar Curtailment Forecast
Client: Sembcorp Industries is a leading energy, marine and urban development group, operating across multiple markets worldwide, with an energy portfolio of over 12,000MW, including thermal power plants, renewable wind and solar power assets, as well as biomass and energy-from-waste facilities.
About:Azure conducted detailed hourly forecasts of wind and solar curtailment risks at specific project locations in various Chinese provinces using Azure’s in-house curtailment analysis methodology and energy balance model.
Service:Research and Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, Due Diligence.
Wind and Solar Pipeline Curtailment Risk Forecast
Client: SunEdison, Inc. is a renewable energy company headquartered in the U.S. In addition to developing, building, owning and operating solar power plants and wind energy plants, SunEdison also manufactures high purity silicon-based components for solar panels as well as for entire solar energy systems.
About:Azure provided assessment of the curtailment risks of wind farms spread across five Chinese provinces, in the context of the acquisition of a wind project pipeline. The work included collection and analysis of generation, consumption and distribution data, pipelines and trends across five provinces, analysis of key drivers for wind curtailment in China, development of a methodology for modeling wind curtailment and use of the methodology to evaluate and forecast curtailment risk in eight provinces.
Service:Research and Analysis, Quantitative Modeling, Due Diligence.
Wind and PV pipeline Market Vendor Due Diligence
Client: JIDA Capital is the General Partner of CGN Capital Partners Infrastructure Fund III. JIDA and CGN Private Equity Fund Management together oversee the CGN Fund III, which has an extensive portfolio of onshore wind, solar PV and other renewable assets in China. As of December 2018, JIDA and CGN has reviewed over 27,000MW of renewable energy projects across China, and invested and/or committed to invest over US$400 million of risk capital in 890MW of renewable energy assets in Shandong, Hebei, Henan and Yunnan.
Azure was appointed as market advisor by JIDA for the sale of the CGN Fund III wind and solar assets currently in operation and development in China.
About:The work entailed producing a comprehensive review of Chinese energy policy as well as a 2050 energy market forecast for China with specific focus on areas and topics of interest, such as the energy-related policy and regulatory environment, REDF subsidy delay forecast, grid curtailment forecast and on-grid price forecast, serving to provide insight about the evolution and future direction of the Chinese energy market and government initiatives as well as prediction of specific project performance, supporting investors assessment of the market and projects.
Service:Research and Analysis, Quantitative Modeling.
Testimonials
Our Clients Love Us
"Azure can deliver complex market modeling and strategy advice combined with a strong network and BD skills in China. Their industry analysis and communication skills were very impressive. Thanks again to the Azure team for helping us identify and secure a great partner! "
Ji Hyun Kim
Director, Samsung SDI
"We were impressed by Azure's deep knowledge in offshore wind technology and the Chinese market. Their support has been instrumental in creating a bridge between our technical team in Europe and that of our local partners, enabling us to assess investment opportunities with a high level of confidence."
Erwann Debos
VP China Offshore Wind, EDF Renewables
"You're going to need strong support on the ground if you do business in China and no one can help you navigate the Chinese wind market like Azure does. Azure provided all the essential navigational aid we needed and essential product development liaison throughout the project."
Sandy Butterfield
BWP President, IEC TC88 Chairman
"Azure has valuable experience and great insights on the Chinese renewable energy market, it's always rewarding to work with them"
Sean Whittaker
Senior Renewable Energy Specialist, IFC
Past Clients
