China’s Qiangsheng PV making 5G silicon solar cells
Shanghai, Apr 16, 2009
Source: Asiaport Daily News, April 16, 2009 /SolidState International
http://www.solid-state.com/display_news/176824/5/HOME/
Report:_China%27s_Qiangsheng_PV_making_5G_silicon_solar_cells
Qiangsheng Photovoltaic Technology Co., Ltd., a leading amorphous silicon solar cell producer of China, recently announced in Shanghai that it had started the mass production of the fifth-generation large amorphous thin-film silicon solar cells. Within the two and a half years, the cost of its cell modules is expected to fall to USD 0.5 per watt . It means that the cost of on-grid electricity generated by solar power stations will step down to CNY 0.65 per kilowatt-hours (KWH), on par with that of on-grid electricity generated by wind farms.
In partnership with the third biggest US vacuum equipment manufacturer, the Chinese company has been among the only a few producers of fifth-generation large amorphous thin-film silicon solar cells nationwide.
Both sides have jointly researched, upgraded, and manufactured the core equipment of thin-film cells with all-new technology. The cost of the equipment accounts for only 25% of its imported counterpart, disclosed Sha Xiaolin, chairman of the Chinese company.
Qiangsheng Photovoltaic is expected to reach a yearly production capacity of 500 megawatts at the end of 2010, becoming the biggest amorphous thin-film silicon solar cell production base nationwide.
By now, the company has started mass production in three production lines in its factory based in Nantong, an eastern city close to Shanghai. The factory has a production capacity of 100 megawatts, becoming one of the five biggest amorphous thin-film silicon solar cell factories around the globe.
The photovoltaic (PV) industry is thriving in China, for the Chinese government has encouraged the utilization of clean energy for long. Some other companies have also sought their fortune in the field.
In January 2009, LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK), a well-known solar wafer producer in the country, held an ceremony for the operation of the Phase I of its 16,000-ton polysilicon project in Xinyu City of the eastern province of Jiangxi, said earlier reports.
The project that broke earth in February 2008 adopts the world-class modified Siemens processes, and it is expected to rank top worldwide by production cost and energy consumption after being fully operation.
In mid-2009, the company is to start running the Phase II, which will be capable of producing 5,000 tons of polysilicon per year and is part of a 15,000-ton plant.
LDK Solar aims to form an annual polysilicon production capacity of 16,000 tons at the end of this year, and it will use all the output to make solar wafer, in a bid to secure raw material supply and lower production cost. With the rising polysilicon production capacity, it hopes to become capable of producing 3,200 megawatts of solar wafer in 2010. (USD 1 = CNY 6.83)
Source: www.cnstock.com (April 16, 2009)