Suntech of China has reported increasing its aggregate solar module production capacity to 6 GW with the addition of 1.5 GW high efficiency in Wuxi. By the end of 2020, it targets to expand its cumulative capacity to 8.5 GW, with the addition of 2 GW in Yangzhou, 3 GW in Changzhou and 2 GW in Zhenjiang. Of this targeted 8.5 GW, it has already commissioned 1.5 GW in Wuxi.
Altogether, the company aims to start 2021 with a total annual manufacturing capacity of 13 GW, the management told TaiyangNews. Sharing the technology focus of the company going forward, the company said, "Suntech's module technology will be focused not only on the current PERC technology combined with mature half-cut cell, multi-busbar, bifacial technologies, and with larger silicon wafers (166 mm, 182 mm, and 210 mm) but also on advanced heterojunction (HJT) technologies, with high-density cell interconnect technology, innovative user-friendly design, and low voltage and high current design for higher string power, etc., to realize the lower LCOE and higher ROI ultimately.
The new module production facility at Wuxi with 1.5 GW was commissioned with an investment of RMB 490 million ($70.57 million) and is compatible with multi-busbar (MBB) cells of various formats right from 166 mm to 182 mm, 78-cell solar modules. It also has an upgrade space for 210 mm large format cells.
"As a long-established PV company, it is time for Suntech to upgrade to advanced production capacity. The expansion of the Wuxi manufacturing facility is the first step in our steady growth strategy, which will be added 8.5 GW of advanced capacity to our 4 factories this year," said Suntech President Jun Tang.
Like most module suppliers, especially those from China, Suntech too believes in offering modules with higher power ratings and has recently launched its own series with up to 605 W+ output and conversion efficiency of up to 21.3%. These modules come equipped with mainstream technologies as half-cut cells, MBB and bifacial cells covering large format silicon wafers of all sizes namely 166 mm, 182 mm and 210 mm.
Here are the details Suntech shared for its new module series:
Heterojunction (HJT) module: This one uses N-type HJT cell design with a conversion efficiency of 24%, over 1% more than PERC cells. With a higher power rating of 435W, these 158.75 mm modules can be mass produced in Q4/2020 and the cell size can be upgraded later. Suntech also offers a bifacial design with a bifaciality of of up to 90%.
Ultra V modules: These are based on large format 182 mm silicon wafers with up to 21.3% efficiency and power rating that can reach to a total of 590 W. Suntech uses a 'flexible special ribbon and a highly reflective backsheet'. It also comes in a bifacial layout.
Ultra X modules: The Suntech Ultra X products deploy a large format with 210 mm silicon wafers and PERC mono cells increasing the light receiving area by 80.5% compared with products of conventional formats. It touts the use of non-destructive cutting technology, MBB and high efficiency ribbon, that increases power generation by 1.57% when the highest power exceeds 600W+.
Ultra S modules: These utilize large format 166 mm silicon wafers, 78 cells and can go up to 450 W in mass production with a conversion efficiency of up to 20.6%, helping reduce the installation area and costs.