Driven by the global "carbon neutrality" goal, photovoltaics have become an important player in the global energy market and are the fastest growing renewable energy in many countries and regions. According to statistics from Sobi Consulting, in the past year, the global photovoltaic power generation installed capacity was about 380-400GW, and the DC side installed capacity was 460-500GW, of which 216.88GW was installed in China, and many data broke historical records.
Such a vast market has brought unprecedented development opportunities to photovoltaic companies. Wang Bohua, honorary chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, pointed out that from January to October 2023, the output of my country's photovoltaic manufacturing links (silicon materials, silicon wafers, batteries, and modules) increased by more than 70% year-on-year, with an output value of more than 1.3 trillion yuan, setting a new record.
As an outstanding representative of China's photovoltaic companies, Yidaxinneng has won the recognition of many customers with its leading product manufacturing technology, stable product supply, extensive production capacity layout, and reliable quality assurance. In the 2023 photovoltaic module shipment list released by Sobi Photovoltaic Network & Sobi Consulting, Yidaxinneng ranked ninth with an excellent performance of 18-20GW, becoming an important member of the main brand camp in China's photovoltaic module field.
Specifically, in terms of product technology, Yidaxinneng's DAON series of modules have become an important banner leading the mass production of n-type TOPCon battery modules. Not long ago, Yidaxinneng received the certification report of the latest n-type TOPCon high-efficiency battery from the National Photovoltaic Industry Measurement and Testing Center (NPVM). The efficiency of the battery equipped with Yidaxinneng's independently developed TOPCon4.0 Plus high open circuit voltage core technology has reached a new high. The report shows that Yidaxinneng's large-area battery (334cm²) has exceeded 26.36% efficiency, breaking the 26.33% efficiency record they created in September 2023, and setting a new world record for large-area TOPCon battery efficiency. The technicians pointed out that the high open circuit voltage technology has been fully reflected, and the battery open circuit voltage has exceeded the 740mV mark, reaching 742mV, which not only broke the 735mV open voltage record created by Yidaxinneng a month ago, but also created the highest open circuit voltage of crystalline silicon homojunction solar cells, indicating their great potential in TOPCon technology.
From TOPCon1.0 in 2019 to the current TOPCon4.0Plus, Yida New Energy has never given up the research and exploration of high-efficiency battery technology. Dr. Song Dengyuan, Chairman of the SEMI China Photovoltaic Standard Technical Committee and CTO of Yida New Energy, introduced that open circuit voltage is the most core technical indicator of solar cells, indicating the potential for improving the efficiency of solar cells. At present, the research and development team of Yida New Energy continues to make breakthroughs in the open circuit voltage of TOPCon batteries, from 701mV in TOPCon1.0 to the current 742mV, which is of great significance. TOPCon4.0 Plus has a perfect battery passivation structure, which supports the technical advantage of high open circuit voltage, and there is huge potential for efficiency improvement in the future. I believe that with the efforts of Yida New Energy, TOPCon technology is moving towards its theoretical limit of 28.7%.
Yidaxinneng adopts a decentralized manufacturing layout, with more than ten bases across the country providing products to different customers around the world. The relevant person in charge said that Yidaxinneng has always been at the forefront of the industry in terms of n-type battery and module production capacity layout, and has been ranked in the top three for many years. In 2023, n-type modules accounted for nearly 50% of all shipments. In the future, this advantage will continue to be magnified, and it will bravely be the vanguard of technological innovation and iteration.
The power station designers said that n-type batteries and modules have the characteristics of high efficiency and high power. Under the same installed area, the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems can be increased and the BOS cost of photovoltaic systems can be reduced. At the same time, n-type modules can achieve higher bifaciality, lower temperature coefficient, lower power attenuation, and have better weak light performance, which can bring higher single-watt power generation. Low BOS cost plus high power generation can bring the highest rate of return to power station investors.
This is also recognized by many power investment companies, EPC companies and users. According to Sobi Photovoltaic Network, in the first quarter of 2023, n-type accounted for only about 10% of the bidding of central state-owned enterprises, but by the fourth quarter, the demand for n-type components accounted for more than 50%. Those companies that deployed n-type production capacity earlier and ramped up production faster generally enjoyed this wave of dividends. Take Yida New Energy as an example. In 2023, Yida New Energy won more than 70 component biddings with a total bid size of more than 16GW. At the same time, they were successfully shortlisted for the supplier shortlist of nearly 40 power investment companies, providing components and system solutions for many power station projects. The brand strength should not be underestimated. While striving to improve product efficiency, quality and reliability, Yida is also actively trying to expand downstream and provide comprehensive system solutions according to different application scenarios. Whether it is flexible brackets, steel frames, offshore photovoltaic floats or distributed photovoltaic fast shutdown devices, Yida has conducted in-depth research, and its products and solutions are becoming more mature. Taking flexible brackets as an example, due to their large span and flexible and adjustable span range, they have a wider range of applications and are widely used in places such as tidal flats, fish ponds, and sewage treatment plants. They also perform well in mountainous areas with large slopes and "photovoltaic +" projects. In 2023, the company won bids for multiple flexible bracket projects with a total scale of more than 300MW, which was highly recognized by many customers such as Three Gorges, Huaneng, and China Resources.
According to Sobi Consulting's forecast, in 2024, the global photovoltaic market will continue to grow at a rate of more than 15%, especially overseas markets, which will become the profit focus of most photovoltaic companies. At the same time, as an advanced product with mature technology, n-type TOPCon will continue to increase its market share and become the first choice for more than half of photovoltaic projects. The person in charge of the company said that in the future, it will continue to increase investment in scientific research, take technological innovation as the foundation, and reduce costs and increase efficiency as the goal to improve the company's core competitiveness and bring "a ray of sunshine" to the photovoltaic industry.