News on wafer

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

Longi’s capacity expansion plan 2018 - 2021

Longi accelerates expansion of mono wafer capacity to 65 GW

(comments: 0)

China-based Longi, the world’s largest manufacturer of monocrystalline solar wafers, will more than double its capacity from 28 GW at the end of 2018 to 65 GW by the end of 2021.

Shares of global polysilicon production capacity

Polysilicon maker REC Silicon “more or less without customers”

(comments: 0)

U.S.-based REC Silicon is edging closer to shutting down its polysilicon plant in Moses Lake, Washington. The factory is currently running at 25% of its capacity.

Solar module from GCL System Integration Technology made of cast mono wafers

GCL-Poly to increase cast mono wafer capacity to 15 GW by 2020

(comments: 0)

Leading China-based polysilicon and wafer manufacturer GCL-Poly will ramp up its production capacity for cast mono ingots and wafers to 15 GW by the first quarter of 2020.

Wacker’s integrated chemical factory in Burghausen, Bavaria

Credit Suisse: Wacker to be squeezed out by Chinese competition

(comments: 0)

Analysts at Credit Suisse predict that “Wacker will remain a marginal producer of solar grade polysilicon near term and will be squeezed out by low cost Chinese production longer term.”

Monocrystalline solar wafers from Zhonghuan Semiconductor

Zhonghuan Semiconductor to expand its wafer capacity to 50 GW

(comments: 0)

China-based Zhonghuan Semiconductor, the world’s second-largest manufacturer of monocrystalline solar wafers, will build a new factory with a capacity of 25 GW in Inner Mongolia.

Representatives of Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Clusters Development Program, Saudi Basic Industries Corp., OCI Company and Longi Group shake hands after signing a Memorandum of Understanding

New Saudi attempt to produce all from polysilicon to solar panels

(comments: 0)

Chemical conglomerate Saudi Basic Industries Corp., South Korea’s OCI Company and China’s Longi Group have signed a memorandum of understanding for an integrated solar and carbon black production complex.

GCL-Poly’s wafer factory in Suzhou

GCL-Poly made a loss in first ten months of 2018, sells wafer unit

(comments: 0)

Leading China-based polysilicon and wafer maker GCL-Poly Energy Holdings made a loss of approx. US$77.7 million in the first ten months of 2018; the group will dispose its subsidiary Suzhou Kezhun Photovoltaic Technologies.

Diamond wire saw with monocrystalline silicon ingot

Success factors of monocrystalline technology in the PV market

(comments: 0)

An interesting background article of pv magazine illustrates the technological progress that has facilitated the current upswing of monocrystalline silicon in the PV market.

Daqo New Energy’s polysilicon plant in Shihezi, Xinjiang

Daqo is targeting polysilicon production costs of $6.80/kg by 2020

(comments: 0)

China-based polysilicon manufacturer Daqo New Energy is targeting total production costs of US$6.80/kg by the first quarter of 2020, down from $9.05/kg in Q2 2018 and $7.50/kg projected for 2019.

Solar module from GCL System Integration Technology made of cast mono wafers

GCL introduces mono-like solar panel – is it already economical?

(comments: 0)

Chinese solar cell and module producer GCL System Integration Technology has started mass production of solar modules made of cast mono (also known as mono-like or quasi-mono) wafers from its affiliate GCL-Poly.