Polysilicon maker GCL-Poly said on Tuesday the company has started construction of a factory with an annual production capacity of 54,000 MT. The manufacturing facility will be the first phase of a broader plan to increase capacity by 100,000 MT at the site. The company will use silane fluidized bed reactor (FBR) technology at the fab – rather than the Siemens process – to produce granular polysilicon. GCL said its preferred method not only offered a shorter production process and fewer post-production treatments but also reduced investment costs 30% and power consumption around 65%. The facility will be built on an earlier factory but will occupy an extra 0.4km2. The total investment will be RMB4.7 billion (US$687 million) and the project is set to be completed next year.
Hangzhou-based EVA encapsulant and backsheet manufacturer First today announced it will build a new factory for both products in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang province. The manufacturing facility will have a production capacity of 250 million square meters for EVA encapsulants and 110 million square meters for backsheets. The investment will amount to RMB1.02 billion. First recently secured exclusive patent authorization from Japanese electronics brand Kyocera for anti-acid technology to reduce the degradation of solar cells by suppressing the generation of acid in EVA under ultraviolet sun rays.
Inverter maker Goodwe on Friday launched an initial public offering (IPO) on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The shares began trading at RMB37.93 (US$5.54). Around 22 million common shares were issued by the business.
Polysilicon maker Yongxiang Silicon, a unit of solar and module manufacturer Tongwei, said on Monday a 220 kV substation at its flooded polysilicon factory in Leshan, in Sichuan province, has been repaired. The return to operation is expected to help the factory resume normal production by the end of October, although several substations, including a 110 kV facility are still out of action, according to a source close to the matter. Having stated immediately after the flood that the Leshan plant would be restored to operation within 10 days, Tongwei last week said such an outcome would require two months. The production halt has shaved around 25% off the group’s 80,000 MT annual production capacity.
August figures released by carmaker BYD appear to indicate a recovery in sales of electric and hybrid vehicles after a heavy slump in favor of conventional models in recent months. ‘New energy vehicle’ sales hit 15,283 last month, according to the manufacturer, compared to 16,719 in August last year. The extent of the e-mobility sales slump in recent months is illustrated by year-to-date sales of almost half the 178,939 new energy vehicles sold to the end of August last year, with last month’s figures taking the eight-month total this year to 91,060.
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