Mar 11 2010
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, a major solar energy firm that is one among the largest global photovoltaic producers that are vertically integrated, has recently announced capacity expansion for its 300 MW PANDA plant that manufacturers mono-crystalline silicon-based PV cells. The plant is located at Baoding, China.
Collaborators in the Project PANDA include Amtech Systems, Inc. (ASYS), a worldwide supplier of automation and production systems and supplies for PV cell manufacturing; the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, a leading European solar research center; and Yingli.
The capacity expansion plan has been triggered by the growth expected in the PV industry worldwide, the global energy strategy of Yingli, and a huge number of inquiries and orders received in 2010, according to the CEO and chairman of Yingli Green Energy, Liansheng Miao. Miao hopes that the expansion will enable Yingli to satisfy the rising demand for its cost-effective, reliable products, and further reduce product costs due to the availability of larger scale for manufacturing and achievement of enhanced solar cell conversion efficiency. Miao reveals that Yingli has been able to produce next-generation solar cells with 18 percent or higher efficiency at its pilot manufacturing line of Project PANDA.
Yingli China has received a project loan of RMB 1.5 bn and a working capital of RMB 250 mn from BOCOM. Under the contract, Yingli China will receive a five-year loan of RMB 1.5 bn from BOCOM, subject to conditions, for its 300 MW expansion project.
By 2010-end, Miao hopes to achieve a minimum of 18.5 percent efficiency at its commercial production lines. By the end of this year, the new expansion plant, combined with the 100 MW capacity plant coming up in Hainan Province and the existing Baoding plant with a capacity of 600 MW, would take Yingli’s overall production capacity of 1 GW. This expansion is expected to help the company to cement its leadership in the PV market worldwide.