Yingli Green Energy has said it successfully started 180-micron thick
solar wafer production at the beginning of February 2008, compared to
200-micron volume production as previously used. The move is expected
to reduce its polysilicon usage per watt, increasing wafer output per
ingot and contributing to a reduction in cost of goods sold, the
company said.
“We are pleased to announce the reduction in our wafer thickness and
that over 70% of our estimated polysilicon needs for 2008 has been
contracted,” commented Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Yingli Green Energy. “Our continued efforts to improve
operating efficiencies and reduce wafer thickness have demonstrated the
success of our R&D and other strategic initiatives and we believe
these achievements will help us to be more competitive in 2008.”
The
Company currently expects its PV module shipment target for the full
year of 2008 to be in the estimated range of approximately 255MW and
265MW and said that it believes it has now secured more than 70% of its
expected polysilicon needs for 2008, of which the majority is virgin
polysilicon.
