News on 2017

News on suppliers, market trends and technology innovations in polysilicon and wafer production is selected, assessed and written for you by Bernreuter Research.

Hemlock Semiconductor’s polysilicon plant in Hemlock, Michigan (USA)

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U.S.-based Hemlock Semiconductor, once the world’s largest polysilicon manufacturer, has announced that it will lay off 100 employees, most of them in the first quarter of 2018.

Daqo New Energy’s polysilicon plant in Shihezi, Xinjiang

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Daqo will expand the capacity of its polysilicon plant in Xinjiang by 7,000 tons by the end of 2018 and will further increase its capacity by 5,000 MT through debottlenecking by the end of 2019.

REC Silicon’s Q2 2017 update on FBR joint venture in Yulin

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Chinese competitors are raising doubts that TianREC, the joint venture between REC Silicon and Shaanxi Non-ferrous Tianhong New Energy, will start up polysilicon production in Yulin, Shaanxi province still in 2017.

Presentation by GCL System Integration at EU PVSEC 2017: Industrially feasible PERC cells on diamond wire sawn multicrystalline silicon wafers textured by RIE towards 20.78% efficiency

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More efficient Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology will soon gain ground on multicrystalline cells made of cost-cutting diamond-wire-sawn wafers with a so-called ‚black-silicon’ texture.

Monthly polysilicon imports into China from September 2016 through August 2017

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With a monthly volume of 16,141 tons, polysilicon imports into China reached another record high in August, anticipating stronger demand for PV systems.

REC Silicon’s silane/polysilicon plant in Butte, Montana

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U.S.-based manufacturer REC Silicon has curtailed production of solar-grade polysilicon at its facility in Butte, Montana and will focus on electronic grade for the semiconductor industry there.

Charleston residents protest against Wacker’s communication policy after hydrogen explosion at its polysilicon plant

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After a hydrogen explosion has damaged its U.S. polysilicon plant, Wacker expects it will take several months until the plant is restarted. The company’s communication policy has sparked harsh criticism in the local community.

Vapor plume containing traces of hydrochloric acid after explosion at Wacker’s U.S. polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee

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Chlorosilane escaped from two leaks after an explosion at Wacker’s polysilicon plant near Charleston, Tennessee (USA) on September 7. Production has been suspended until the cause of the explosion is found.

Monthly polysilicon imports from South Korea into China from January through July 2016 and 2017, respectively

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BusinessKorea has reported that polysilicon exports from South Korea in the second quarter of 2017 decreased by 25.5% versus Q2 2016, attributing the decline to political friction with China. The actual numbers tell a different story.

Wacker’s U.S. polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee

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A release of chemicals at Wacker’s polysilicon plant near Charleston, Tennessee (USA) has caused burns to five workers. They were taken to hospitals.

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