Purchases of PERC equipment for making solar cells - mostly by China-based makers - is expected to peak in 2018-2020, with total value estimated at CNY23 billion (US$3.35 billion), according to China-based media reports.
Global demand for high-efficiency PV modules is growing much faster than average, with worldwide annual production capacity for PERC solar cells estimated to increase from 30GWp in 2017 to 70GWp in 2018, the reports from China said.
China-based makers establishing or expanding PERC production capacities include Tongwei Solar, CSI, Lerri Solar, JA Solar, Jinko Solar, Trina Solar and Guangdong Aiko Solar Energy Technology, the reports said. South Korea-based Hanwha Q Cells is doing so, the reports noted. In contrast, few Taiwan-based makers have expanded PERC solar cell prodcution capacities mainly because they are unable to compete with China-based fellow makers in price.
Meanwhile, CSI has set up annual production capacity of 800MWp for large-size, 157mm x 186mm, poly-Si solar cells. A PV module made of 60 or 72 such large-size solar cells has power output of 360W and 436W respectively, the reports said.
GCL-Poly Energy has rolled out third-generation solar-grade quasi-mono-Si wafers, and energy conversion rates for PERC solar cells made from such wafers are lower than PERC solar cells made from mono-Si wafers by only 0.18pp but production cost for the former is much lower, the reports added.
Article translated by Adam Hwang
