• Report on HJT cell technology finds key to cost reduction is localization and progress in metallization
  • Xiamen Yingumei Energy commissioned a 5.5 MW solar power plant in Xiamen region
  • CPIA says till the end of 2019, cumulative installed residential solar PV capacity of China was over 10 GW
  • Daycare Solar has started expanding its flexible module mass production in a bid to strengthen its presence in the building integrated PV (BIPV) market.

Report on HIT Cell technology: A report by Future Think Tank on heterojunction (HJT) solar cell technology has found that the key to cost reduction for this promising technology lies in localization and progress of metallization process, especially metallization pastes. HJT requires special low temperature cured silver pastes, which are imported from overseas by Chinese manufacturers. The local manufacturing is still in its infancy with the largest supplier of HIT silver paste being Japan’s KE. Compared to HJT, PERC solar cell technology is relatively cheaper and also much more mature as it is highly industrialized. “In 2019, the cost of HJT cells is about RMB 1.06 per W, of which the non-silicon cost is RMB 0.59 per W. It is estimated that the cost of HIT cells can be reduced to RMB 0.89 per W, RMB 0.78 per W, and RMB 0.72 per W from 2020 to 2022, respectively, which are 15%, 26%, and 31% lower than 2019; the cost of HJT cells are expected to reduce to RMB 0.57 per W by 2025, a 46% decrease from 2019,” reads the report.

5.5 MW rooftop solar PV system commissioned: Xiamen Yingumei Energy Technology Co., Ltd, has switched on a 5.5 MW rooftop solar power plant in Haicang, Xiamen region for Gangyu Industrial Co., Ltd. In March 2020, installation and commissioning was achieved. The following month it was connected to the grid. It is designed to generate 7.26 million kWh of clean power annually.

Suzhou GCL New Energy sells stake in subsidiary: In the last week of June 2020, Suzhou GCL New Energy sold a 75% stake in its subsidiary Jinhu Zhenghui Solar Power Co., Ltd. to CDB New Energy. The latter acquired this stake through a stock purchase agreement for RMB 136.6 million. GCL New Energy and CDB New Energy plan to implement more agreements to sell solar PV plants in the near future.

Residential solar PV cumulative capacity exceeds 10 GW: At the end of 2019, the cumulative installed solar power capacity of China’s residential solar segment reached 10.1 GW, as per the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA). In 2019, China added 325,000 new PV systems in this segment, increasing by about 25% annually. Most installations took place between June 2019 to October 2019 with about 710 MW added during this period.

Daycare Solar enters BIPV domain: Solar PV module maker Daycare Solar has started expanding its flexible module mass production in a bid to strengthen its presence in the building integrated PV (BIPV) market. It offers its S6 module series, a 60-cell MWT product, in many markets in China, Japan and Europe. It claims for this S6 module to have a conversion efficiency of 21.2% and its output power can reach 325 W.