China Solar PV News Snippets

LONGi projects 30 GW of BC module shipments in 2024; GCL SI subsidiaries get TÜV SÜD certification; Gold Stone Energy's hybrid BC module achieves 25.50% efficiency; 4 major DAS Solar bases ISO 14064 certified; China relaxes minimum utilization rate for renewable energy.

LONGi expects to reach 30 GW of BC module shipments in 2024: As part of an investor relations communication, leading PV module maker LONGi has said that it expects to reach 30 GW of back-contact (BC) module shipments in 2024. LONGi says that its Hybrid Passivated Back Contact (HPBC) 1.0 cells cost the same as TOPCon cells, which it has achieved through continuous optimization and production efficiencies. The company recently launched its Hi-MO 9 module, based on its HPBC 2.0 cell technology, with a bifaciality of 70%±5, which it says delivers significantly improved module power, better temperature coefficient, weak light response and reliability. These modules are rated for 660 W of maximum power and up to 24.43% efficiency.

LONGi says it is currently in the capacity-building stage for its HPBC 2.0 cells and expects to start mass shipments in Q4 2024. It projects its BC cell production capacity, based on its new TaiRay silicon wafers, to reach 100 GW over the next 3 years. The company expects to reach 200 GW of annual monocrystalline silicon wafer capacity, with TaiRay silicon wafers accounting for more than 80%.

As part of its 2023 Sustainability Report, LONGi Green Energy recently announced that its renewable energy consumption for the year accounted for 31.1% of its total electricity consumption (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

GCL SI subsidiaries get TÜV SÜD certification: Solar PV cell and module manufacturer GCL System Integration has announced that its 5 subsidiaries have received the organizational carbon verification statement certification by TÜV SÜD. The company says it engaged TÜV SÜD to conduct this verification based on ISO 14064-3 and ISO 14064-1 standards. This certification comes after a comprehensive review of production activities, including direct emissions, energy indirect emissions, emissions from transportation, and product usage emissions. The company says this is the first time it has included "Scope 3 emissions" (all other indirect emissions occurring in the value chain) in its organizational carbon verification.

Last month, GCL Si announced its plans to launch its proprietary GPC cell in Q4 2024 (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

Gold Stone Energy's hybrid BC module achieves 25.50% efficiency: High efficiency solar cell production solution provider Gold Stone Energy has announced that its hybrid BC module has achieved a conversion efficiency of 25.50%. This module, developed by the company's National Engineering Research Center for High-efficiency Solar Cell Equipment and Technology, combines heterojunction (HJT) and TOPCon technologies. Having surpassed its previous record of 24.88% full-area conversion efficiency set in September 2023, the company says that this achievement has been certified by TÜV Nord.

4 major DAS Solar production bases ISO 14064 certified: PV cell and module supplier DAS Solar has announced its production bases in Quzhou, Taizhou, Zhangzhou and Bengbu have passed TÜV SÜD's carbon verification. They have been awarded the ISO 14064 greenhouse gas verification statement. The company says that this demonstrates its efforts towards reducing carbon emissions throughout the product life cycle, and also provides strong evidence for its commitment to promoting sustainable development on a global scale.

China relaxes minimum utilization rate for renewable energy: In a notice titled Guidelines for Ensuring High-Quality Development of Renewable Energy Consumption, the National Energy Administration has allowed regions with favorable resource conditions to lower the minimum renewable energy utilization rate target from the current 95% to 90%. The notice emphasizes the construction of several supporting grid projects, including the commissioning of 33 and the start of construction on 37 grid projects. It says China will open a "green channel" for major projects such as large-scale wind and photovoltaic bases and integrated water, wind, and solar bases, accelerating the inclusion of supporting grid projects in the national plan.