LONGi unveils new silicon wafer; DAH Solar launches full-screen rectangular double-glass module; HIUV’s 30 GW PV film facility begins operations; China Longyuan granted 330 MW new energy project development quota; Drinda to build 14 GW solar cell fab in Vietnam.
LONGi launches new silicon wafer: Vertically integrated solar manufacturer LONGi has released its new silicon wafer. The company says that this wafer is designed to support a variety of cell technologies including HBC, TBC, HJT, and TOPCon. LONGi lists full technology platform support, high resistance uniformity, and excellent contamination absorption capabilities as the features of the new wafer. It also features enhanced mechanical properties, with a 16% increase in bending strength compared to conventional products, offering stronger fracture resistance. This enhancement helps in thinning the wafers, potentially reducing the fragmentation rate during manufacturing. LONGi says that it has completed extensive R&D and systematic patent layout and it is ready to begin full-scale production.
LONGi Green Energy Technology recently announced its plans to downsize its global workforce by 5% (see World’s Largest Solar Manufacturer Consolidating Workforce).
DAH Solar releases full-screen rectangular double-glass module: Solar module maker DAH Solar has introduced its full-screen rectangular double-glass module. The module utilizes rectangular silicon cells and is said to be suitable for various application scenarios including residential, C&I rooftops, and utility solar projects. The company claims the 72-cell variant of this module can achieve an output power of up to 630 W, with a maximum conversion efficiency of 23.32%. DAH Solar claims that its full-screen modules provide comprehensive capabilities for drainage, dirt removal, and snow removal. This, in turn, significantly reduces power generation losses due to long-term accumulation of water, ash, or snow. DAH Solar claims an average annual power generation gain of 6-15% with these modules.
DAH Solar’s Full-Screen PV Modules were recently showcased at the Smart Energy Conference in Sydney by Australian solar wholesaler Austra Energy (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
HIUV’s 30 GW PV film facility starts operations: PV film manufacturer HIUV New Materials has announced that its 30 GW PV packaging film manufacturing base in Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province has officially started operations. The facility is expected to produce 300 million sq. m. of PV films once fully up and running. The company has reportedly invested about RMB 2.5 billion ($345.93 million) in the facility being built in 2 phases, targeting 200 million sq. m. capacity in the 1st phase and 100 million sq. m. capacity in the 2nd. HIUV announced its expansion plans for the Pinghu facility last September (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
China Longyuan granted 330 MW new energy project development quota: The Hebei Provincial Development and Reform Commission has granted China Longyuan development quotas for the Shijiazhuang wind + solar power project. All projects from this batch are located in Xingtang County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. The 130 MW wind power part of the project would entail installing 9 wind turbine units with a single unit with 7.5 MW capacity and 10 units with a capacity of 6.5 MW each. For the 200 MW PV project, it plans to install 458,224 PV modules rated for 540 W power. The project, when complete, is expected to supply 630 GWh of clean electricity to the power grid annually, saving approximately 205,000 tons of standard coal and reducing 500,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year.
Drinda to build 14 GW solar cell fab in Vietnam: Drinda New Energy, JTPV’s parent company, has announced its plans to build a solar cell factory in the Hoang Mai II Industrial Park located in Nghe An province, Vietnam. Drinda intends to lease 58 hectares of land within the Hoang Mai II Industrial Park to build the solar cell factory with a designed capacity of 14 GW, to be developed in 2 phases. The first phase will use 30 hectares of land with a total investment of $450 million, expected to be completed in Q4 of this year and create employment opportunities for approximately 4,000 workers.
Last month, Drinda reported a 58.65% YoY increase in its FY2023 revenues to RMB 18.397 billion ($2.56 billion) (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
