-Tongwei said it will also strengthen its research and development effort of perovskite and tandem cell technologies.
PVTIME –Tongwei Co., Ltd.’s annual report published on April 13 highlighted the company’s many technological achievements in the area of solar development. The company stated that it holds many intellectual property rights in atomic layer deposition rear passivation, selective emitter, bifacial cell, multi-busbar, HJT cell, and high efficiency module selective emitter technologies.
Tongwei’s 156.75mm HJT solar cell (Source: Tongwei Solar)
On one hand, Tongwei has been focused on improving and optimizing the current mainstream PERC technology to improve its conversion efficiency and reduce production costs. On the other hand, it has been closely monitoring the development other emerging cell technologies.
Tongwei’s HJT cell research and development production line which was put into operation in June of 2019 is now producing HJT cells capable of achieving a conversion efficiency of 25.18%. The annual report states that, on the basis of the R&D production line, Tongwei will be building a 1GW HJT pilot line to further improve equipment selection, process technology optimization, and cost performance.
According to the report, Tongwei has also established a photovoltaic technology center and a team composed of well-known industry experts to coordinate and promote the technical research, development, and integration throughout the photovoltaic industry chain. Tongwei will focus on developing cross-sector communication and integration during the mass production of new technologies and new products (such as TOPCON, HJT), deepening cooperation with domestic and foreign universities, research institutes, and other scientific research institutions, and strengthening cross-generation and cutting-edge technologies of the industry (including HBC, perovskite, photovoltaic + energy storage, and other technologies).
Following the commissioning of the Meishan project’s phase I 7.5GW 21X large-size cell production capacity, Tongwei’s annual solar cell production capacity reached 27.5GW in 2020, and the non-silicon cost of its monocrystalline PERC cell products reached 0.2 yuan/W. Once the Meishan and Jintang large-scale projects are fully commissioned, Tongwei estimates that its annual solar cell production capacity will exceed 55GW by the end of 2021 and its cost advantage will be further improved.
During the reporting period, the company maintained full production and achieved cell and module shipments of 22.16GW, an increase of 66.23% year-on-year, and a gross profit margin of 16.78% for its monocrystalline cells.
