LONGi breaks ground on new integrated facility; Vertex N 700W series modules from Trina Solar power Saudi desalination plant; Chint Solar to build a 2 GW offshore PV project; POPSOLAR’s cell hits a certified 25.66% efficiency; SUNREV’s 1^st cell rolls out from its TOPCon facility.

LONGi Solar starts construction on new integrated facility: World’s leading solar PV manufacturer LONGi Green Energy announced via WeChat that it has broken ground to start construction on its integrated facility in the Weibei New City, Economic Development Zone. The facility will produce 20 GW of monocrystalline silicon ingots annually, 24 GW of monocrystalline cells, and will be accompanied by other supporting facilities at the site. LONGi claims that it is the shortest time for the company from signing an agreement to the start of construction of the 1^st phase of the facility. At completion, the facility is expected to provide employment to nearly 6,000 people. LONGi recently announced that it has become the world’s 1^st PV manufacturer to receive SBTi certification (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

Trina Solar’s Vertex N 700W series modules power Saudi Arabia desalination plant: Trina Solar announced that its Vertex N 700W series modules have been deployed for a desalination plant’s power station in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The plant, with a total installed capacity of 45.5 MW, was connected to the grid recently. Engineering, procurement and construction of the project was undertaken by SEPCOIII, affiliated to Power China. The Jubail plant uses seawater reverse osmosis technology to produce up to 600,000 tons of water a day, providing drinking water to 3 million people, and is one of the major water sources for the cities of Dammam and Riyadh. Trina Solar Vertex N 700W series modules feature advanced 210 mm technology in conjunction with n-type i-TOPCon Advanced technology, with an efficiency of 22.5%. The PV plant, powered by the company’s modules, can meet 20% of its daily energy needs and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 60,000 tons a year.

Chint Solar signs 2 GW offshore PV project: Specialized subsidiary of the Chint Group, Chint Solar announced that it has signed an agreement with People’s Government of Pingyang County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province to build a 2 GW offshore PV project. With a planned investment of RMB 11 billion ($1.5 billion), the main plan is to build a fishing-photovoltaic complementary plant with an installed capacity of about 2 million kilowatts. To be built over an area of 20,000 mu, the company will start construction in 2024 and expects to complete it by 2030. At completion, it is expected to bring about 2.57 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity to Pingyang County.

POPSOLAR’s mass-produced n-type TOPCon cell hits 25.66% efficiency: PV cell and module manufacturer POPSOLAR announced that its mass-produced n-type TOPCon cell has reached 25.66% in the tests conducted and certified by third-party testing organization TÜV Rheinland. The cell, produced at POPSOLAR’s Taixing Base Phase I, involves an integrated laser SE process, which improves efficiency by 0.25%. The company claims to be the first TOPCon cell manufacturer in the industry to successfully adopt the LPCVD double-insertion process in its mass production line without sacrificing yield and efficiency.

SUNREV rolls out 1^st cell from 10 GW n-type TOPCon facility: Solar PV cell maker SUNREV recently announced that it has rolled out the 1^st TOPCon cell from its subsidiary Xinrui Optoelectronics’ production line. Built over an area of 436 mu and with a total investment of RMB 10 billion ($1.37 billion), the plant is expected to produce 10 GW of TOPCon cells annually, along with 2 GW of HJT cells. Once complete, the facility is expected to bring in revenues of RMB 10 billion ($1.37 billion) annually. SUNREV plans to reach 65 GW of wafer production capacity by the end of 2023, breaking through 26 GW of high-efficiency cell production capacity and 6 GW of module production capacity.