500 MW G12 Cell Production Line Online In Taiwan

• TSEC has started trial production on its new solar cell production line in Yuanjing region of Taiwan
• It currently has a production capacity of 400 MW, but will expand to 500 MW annually on complete ramp up
• TSEC plans to produce solar cells with 8-inch and 12-inch specification with an aim to achieve 700W output for its modules

Taiwan Solar Energy Corp (TSEC), the Taiwanese solar cell and module producer, has expanded its annual solar cell production capacity to 1 GW with the installation and trial production of a new cell line of up to 500 MW capacity. The line currently has 400 MW operational capacity, and on complete ramp up, it will sport an annual output of up to 500 MW.

Installed in March 2021 in Taiwan's Yuanjing region, the cell line is equipped to produce solar cells with 8-inch to 12-inch specification, which means it will be able to process the largest wafer format (G12).

If the 500 MW solar cell production line is further combined with the company's new solar module production line that came online in January 2021, TSEC's Yuanjing Deputy General Manager Jiang Zhihao said, the power generation of each of its high efficiency solar module will increase from existing 350W to 700W.

Both these new cell and module lines cost TSEC an investment worth TWD 900 million ($32 million). Management shared the company is in the process of applying for requisite high-efficiency solar module certification from the Bureau of Standards under Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs.

TSEC launched its 1 GW module production fab in Taiwan's Pingtung County in May 2018, when it announced plans to expand its production capacity to between 2 GW to 3 GW (see 1 GW Module Fab Inaugurated In Taiwan).

TSEC's compatriot United Renewable Energy (URE) in March 2021 claimed 26% perovskite solar cell efficiency and said it will start small-volume mass production of TOPCon cells in 2021 (see Taiwan's URE To Produce TOPCon Solar Cells In 2021).