TCL Zhonghuan has acquired a controlling stake in DAS Solar, expanding its presence across the solar cell and module manufacturing segments
The company has also approved a major investment to upgrade existing production lines to BC technology
It expects the integration to support the commercialization of higher-efficiency premium solar products
TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy Technology, also referred to as TCL TZE, has strengthened its position in the solar PV industry by completing the acquisition of DAS Solar. The companies had signed a letter of intent (LOI) for the proposed transaction in January 2026, which has now been completed (see China’s TCL TZE To Acquire Controlling Stake In DAS Solar).
TCL Zhonghuan is one of the world’s leading suppliers of silicon wafers with a production capacity of 200 GW as of June 2025. Its module production capacity back then stood at 24 GW. DAS Solar will now be included in TCL’s consolidated financial statements from Q3 2026.
In a stock exchange announcement, TCL said the acquisition strengthens its presence in the solar cell and module segments by combining its leadership in silicon wafer manufacturing with DAS Solar’s production capabilities.
Following the acquisition, TCL expects to have 20 GW of solar cell capacity and 50 GW of module capacity, completing its integrated ‘silicon wafer-cell-module’ value chain.
Alongside the acquisition, the TCL board has approved a back contact (BC) technology upgrade program for its newly acquired production base. It plans to invest about RMB 2.6 billion to convert existing TOPCon production lines into BC technology, including RMB 1.4 billion for upgrading 20 GW of cell capacity and RMB 1.2 billion for upgrading 25 GW of module capacity.
On the cell side, the plan is to upgrade 20 GW across Quzhou and Xinzhou production bases to TOPCon. Of this, DAS Solar will implement the 6 GW Quzhou project, while TCL will carry out the task at its 14 GW Xinzhou fab.
Module capacity of 25 GW, spread across its production bases in Quzhou (3 GW), Yixing (4 GW), Tianjin (9 GW), Jingshan (8 GW), and Zhangzhou (1 GW), will be transitioned to BC technology by the end of July 2026.
The technology upgrade program will commence in July 2026, with phased commissioning expected to be completed in 2027. Upgraded production lines are expected to start production in phases, starting from the end of Q3 2026.
TCL says that at the end of the upgrade, 100% of its cell capacity and nearly 50% of its module capacity will shift to BC technology.
According to management, this investment will leverage the company’s BC patent portfolio, together with DAS Solar’s manufacturing expertise, to accelerate the commercialization of high-efficiency BC cells and modules and expand its portfolio of premium solar products.
Notably, DAS Solar has also expanded its technology scope beyond TOPCon with its DBC cell, which combines both TOPCon and BC technologies. Recently, it entered into a collaboration with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) on TBC (tunnel oxide passivated back contact solar) cell technology.
Both the acquisition and technology upgrades are intended to improve the company’s competitiveness in high-value solar markets and strengthen its integrated operations, added TCL.
