How LONGi is driving true technological value

PV Tech: LONGi has established itself as a leader in back contact technology. Can you elaborate on your technological advantages in this space and how back contact solutions fit into your broader product portfolio strategy?

Louis Liu: Our commitment to back contact (BC) technology represents a fundamental shift in asset optimisation, bypassing standard TOPCon architectures. While the industry pivoted to TOPCon as an incremental upgrade, LONGi recognised its physical limits in front-side shading and efficiency caps. We absorbed the initial manufacturing complexity to become the first to industrialise BC technology globally. By moving all electrical contacts to the rear, we eliminate shading and maximise light absorption, positioning BC to become the dominant technology across utility, commercial and residential sectors.

To sustain this leadership, LONGi channels over 4.3 billion yuan annually into R&D, securing over 3,600 global patents and yielding two recent breakthroughs. First, our Hybrid Interdigitated Back-Contact (HIBC) solar cell was certified by Germany’s ISFH at a record 28.13% efficiency, eclipsing our 28.04% record from January 2026. Second, HIBC-based modules have been certified by the US National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) at a record-breaking 26.4% efficiency, up from our previous 26% benchmark.

What really matters is how we translate this laboratory excellence into commercial reality where space is at a premium. At Intersolar Europe, we are presenting our flagship Hi-MO 9 series and its full-scenario based solutions, spearheaded by the Hi-MO 9 Prime module for large-scale utility applications. By engineering a full-screen layout to utilise every single inch of the active front surface for light absorption, we have substantially enhanced the effective optical window and strengthen the module power. This delivers a massive mass-production output of up to 680W with an exceptional module efficiency of 25.17% and a robust 75%±5% bifaciality. This technological leap unlocks 4.62% more capacity per unit area compared to non-BC modules under identical land and Ground Coverage Ratio (GCR) conditions.

Furthermore, it is believed that the most critical value for renewable energy asset is long-term safety and reliability. The Prime series features ultimate safety by substantially mitigate the failure risk from micro-cracks and hotspots, as a result of local thermal stress during processing and manufacturing. Long-term safety is our ultimate pursuit, as the top priority of our core values.

Beyond massive utility assets, our product portfolio strategy heavily emphasises diversification to adapt directly to the hyper-specific scenarios faced by individual customers in the Distributed Generation (DG) segments. For commercial and industrial developers dealing with approval-sensitive infrastructure near airports or highways, we provide specialised Anti-Glare modules that utilise micro-structured glass to reduce glare brightness by up to 78%. For commercial rooftops with low-load limitations, we offer specialised Lightweight modules that reduce weight by over 30% to eliminate costly structural reinforcement.

For high-hazard or dense urban zones, our Fire-Resistant modules feature an integrated safety architecture capable of withstanding extreme thermal stress and preventing direct current arcing. Finally, to meet the needs of homeowners seeking premium residential energy independence, our EcoLife module combines sleek, all-black aesthetics with ultra-high spatial efficiency to maximise power generation from constrained rooftop footprints.

By pairing these scenario-specific innovations with our high-strength TaiRay silicon wafers, LONGi ensures that every unique spatial, environmental and regulatory constraint worldwide is met with unmatched financial returns and optimal land use for our partners.

How is LONGi assessing the current state of the global solar market in 2026, particularly given the ongoing supply-demand dynamics and pricing pressures affecting PV module manufacturers?

The global solar market is navigating a profound structural adjustment characterised by a severe supply-demand mismatch, low-capacity utilisation and aggressive pricing pressures across the photovoltaic supply chain. This cycle has tested the operational resilience of the entire sector, forcing a sharp distinction between companies competing strictly on legacy capacity and those driving true technological value. At LONGi, we view these market fluctuations as an accelerator for structural consolidation. Low prices cannot sustain commoditised, legacy manufacturing; the market is actively discarding inefficient capacity in favour of next-generation solutions. Our strategy to combat these pressures rests on a firm foundation of financial resilience and technological innovation.

As we turn our performance around, we are executing a strategic roadmap focused on four core priorities to insulate our business and provide a bankable foundation for our partners. First, we continue to deepen our R&D to establish undisputed leadership across solar power, energy storage, hydrogen equipment and power electronics. Second, we are accelerating our organisational transformation into a customer-centric, agile operation, deepening our localised presence to improve market responsiveness and delivery efficiency.

Third, we maintain disciplined financial governance and a robust balance sheet, securing sufficient capital reserves to weather the industry downturn and support aggressive expansion upon recovery. Finally, we maintain a strict long-term perspective, focusing on the difficult but correct priorities rather than sacrificing long-term competitiveness for short-term targets.

A key recent theme among PV manufacturers has been the need to evolve into broader clean energy ‘partners’, providing more than simply modules. To what extent is LONGi evolving in this way?

The era of acting solely as a component manufacturer is rapidly drawing to a close because component-level optimisation no longer solves the systemic challenges of grid integration. To address this, we have fully launched our comprehensive “Full-Stack LONGi ONE” strategy. This initiative marks our official evolution from a PV module supplier into an integrated clean energy systems partner.

In today’s market, integrating photovoltaics and battery energy storage (BESS) is becoming mandatory across two primary business scenarios. The first is the modernisation of legacy PV projects that are actively losing value. In mature markets, standalone solar plants suffer from price cannibalisation during peak hours or face grid-enforced generation caps; retrofitting them with storage allows owners to capture wasted energy and shift it to high-value periods. The second scenario is the deployment of fully integrated, co-located PV-plus-BESS plants from the ground up to optimise electrical infrastructure and maximise interconnection capacity. Economically, both approaches protect asset owners against negative pricing, avoid grid penalties and unlock new revenue streams through capacity markets, frequency regulation and peak shaving turning passive assets into active market participants.

To support these scenarios, we design our large-scale storage solutions around distinct customer applications rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all framework. For utility projects demanding high-efficiency blocks, we have engineered the OneBank 2.0 all-in-one system. This fully self-developed platform leverages our core 5S technology, offering a robust nominal capacity between 6.25-6.9MWh while leading the industry with a 93% system round-trip efficiency. For plant-level layouts, the OneMatrix 2.0 seamlessly integrates our AC Block with an MV Skid, adapting effortlessly to two-, four- or eight-hour configurations via pluggable string PCS units.

This scenario-specific architecture delivers clear economic advantages, raising lifetime power generation by 8%, boosting stakeholder ROI by 2 to 4% and dropping on-site deployment cycles by 20 to 30%. Tying this all together is our commitment to “Ultimate Safety”. Ultimate Safety means we use native, predictive intelligence power to prevent fatal failures.

Furthermore, this strategy institutes a “single point of accountability” for our clients. Through our global “2830 Plan,” we are deploying 30 dedicated local service centres across major markets to handle lifecycle delivery, maintenance and technical support under one unified warranty structure, turning intermittent solar generation into a highly dispatchable, stable asset.

What are LONGi’s specific market expansion plans for 2026? Are there particular regions or market segments—such as utility-scale, commercial, or residential—where you’re focusing your growth efforts?

For the remainder of this year, our commercial expansion is structured around deep scenario-based marketing and accelerating our overseas revenue, with a target of ensuring that international markets comprise over 50% of our total shipment volume. To achieve this, our growth efforts are guided by our core business principles of product leadership, efficient operation, pragmatic collaboration and prudent management.

Geographically, we are comprehensively transforming our overseas business from simple local sales into deeply localised operations. Following a strict “one country, one strategy” approach, we are concentrating on strategic, high-value corridors in Europe and Asia-Pacific while aggressively expanding into emerging, high-potential regions like Africa and Latin America. This refined management approach allows us to establish a highly responsive, flexible global supply chain layout utilising an asset-lean operational model internationally to seamlessly align with local customer needs and regulatory dynamics.

Segmentally, our diversification is anchored strictly in scenario-based needs to continuously enhance core product competitiveness. In the utility-scale sector, we are leveraging the massive power output gains of the Hi-MO 9 series to capture major ground-mounted and floating solar projects where land-use optimisation is paramount, as well as scenario-based solutions and BESS Solutions. Simultaneously, for the residential and commercial distributed generation markets, we are expanding our product ecosystem with integrated solar-plus-storage systems at the core.

By backing these efforts with an agile, efficient operational ecosystem supported by systemic capability platforms in talent, capital, digitalisation and compliance risk management we are executing our leap from a PV product provider to an integrated clean energy systems solution service leader.

What is LONGi’s production capacity target by the end of 2026, and what GW shipment volume are you aiming to achieve this year?

Our manufacturing footprint is aligned with long-term sustainable development and customer value. For the full year, we are targeting a comprehensive shipment volume of approximately 100GW of monocrystalline silicon wafers and a solar module shipment objective of around 80GW. The cornerstone of this roadmap is the rapid scaling of our BC production capacity. Having already surpassed 60GW of cumulative BC modules shipped globally to date, the accelerated expansion of our next-generation cell lines, including our in-house HPBC 2.0 platform, will propel our cumulative global BC shipments to 100GW by the end of 2026. This strategic scaling means BC products will constitute over 65% of our annual shipment portfolio, securing their position as our primary global technological foundation.

This transition is particularly evident in mature, high-value markets like Europe, where the efficiency, superior lifecycle gains and localised application designs of BC technology are capturing significant market share.

By focusing our global sales engine on this high-efficiency platform, LONGi maintains its premium-tier solar manufacturing leadership. Through robust strategic account management and targeted value marketing, we aim to significantly increase our overseas revenue share, with international shipments accounting for over 50% of our annual module volume.