China-based PV module manufacturer and PV project developer and operator, CECEP Solar Energy Co has started an initial phase of construction of an advanced solar cell facility as part of a new strategy to enter and become a major merchant cell producer with a total capacity of 50GW.
‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar has added a further 6GW of future PV module assembly capacity expansions to its significant roster already announced in 2020.
Leading monocrystalline wafer producer, LONGi Green Energy (LONGi Group) has secured a minimum 270,000MT of polysilicon supply from Xinte Energy over a five-year period.
Major polysilicon producer GCL-Poly Energy Holdings expects to meet previously set targets of achieving 10,000MT production capacity of its Fluidized Bed Reactor granular polysilicon technology by the end of 2020.
China-based PV backsheet and high-efficiency PV module manufacturer Jolywood (Suzhou) Sunwatt Co (Jolywood) believes its latest iteration of an n-type TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) can achieve 24.5% conversion efficiencies in volume production, the highest in China for such a cell architecture.
According to Johannes Bernreuter, head of Bernreuter Research the supply of polysilicon for the PV industry will continue to be constrained in 2021, while significant overcapacity is looming in 2022 and possibly intensify in 2023.
Meyer Burger Technology has agreed a settlement with Swiss headquartered PV manufacturer, EcoSolifer over a 2015 on heterojunction (HJ) solar cell line contract that will result in a CHF 1.97 million (US$2.22 million) loss for Mayer Burger.
Module manufacturer Seraphim is to invest in a 750MW module assembly facility in Vietnam to expand its global production footprint and serve US market.
With module suppliers currently seeking to hit annual shipment volume guidance for 2020, and many announcing ambitious expansion plans for 2021 and beyond, the sector is seeing a shift now in terms of module supply to global utility-scale sites.
‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Canadian Solar has stopped tweaking manufacturing capacity expansion plans and guided major plans for 2021 that encompass ingot, wafer, solar cell and module assembly.
