Solar is now cheapest form of new electricity in a host of international markets, driven by cost reductions and growth of bifaciality, large-area solar modules and trackers.
Following on from our recent piece on what is driving the largest ever wave of manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in the PV industry, a few real-world examples may shine further light on this topic.
Beijing Jingyuntong Technology Co (JYT) has secured four major large-area mono-wafer orders from PV module and solar cell producers totalling around RMB16.78 billion (US$2.6 billion) in the last few weeks.
Leading ‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JinkoSolar has achieved a record-high conversion efficiency of 23.01% for its N-type Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) module, verified by TÜV Rheinland.
JinkoSolar has recently started construction of a 20GW large-scale solar cell manufacturing base in Chuxiong, Yunnan Province, China, which, once complete, will become the world’s largest single cell production plant.
The China-based PV manufacturing industry has been in a massive capacity expansion phase since 2019. This intensified in the first quarter of 2020 but had eased off through the year, but the cumulative figures are jaw dropping, which has led to real fears of overcapacity in 2021.
One of the largest merchant solar cell producers in the world, Aiko Solar has now established a base in Europe, with the intention of accessing the best of the R&D activities the region can provide. PV Tech speaks to Dr Christian Peter, managing director at Solarlab Aiko Lab Europe, to determine the direction of that European facility.
