Heraeus assists Solarspace to join the 10GW Club Solarspace aims to increase its capacity threefold in two years

Shanghai, China: Heraeus Photovoltaics, the worldwide leading supplier of metallization solutions to the PV industry, announced today a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Jiangsu Zhongyu Photovoltaic Technology Co., Ltd. (“Solarspace”) at the 2018 SNEC International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Exhibition & Conference.

The agreement covers not only Solarspace’s conventional additive texturing (on DWC wafers) and MCCE (on black
silicon) processes, but also its forthcoming high-efficiency technologies such as monocrystalline passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC),  selective emitter (SE), and heterojunction (HIT) solar cells. The two companies also agreed to open a key laboratory together to develop new materials and processes. Going forward, Heraeus will provide highly efficient metallization pastes and a full range of optimized solutions to improve efficiency while addressing costs.

“The sound and sustainable growth of Solarspace from 2010 to 2018 is attributed to our principle of putting quality first. Right from the beginning, we have maintained a close cooperation with Heraeus in the development of products, applications and technology roadmaps. Heraeus has always been with us at many of our key growth stages: for example, it offered 9641B-1188 paste to help us move from conventional screens to high-
mesh 440 screens in the very beginning to achieve a 0.05% efficiency gain, and customized 9651D-140 paste for us in response to higher challenges for printability and adhesion on the DWC wafers to meet the requirements of our production lines,” said Mr. Liu Guyan, general manager of Solarspace, at the signing ceremony. “The next two years will see Solarspace growing rapidly. With the strong support of Heraeus, we are fully confident of our follow-up development plans.”

Dr. Zhang Weiming, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Heraeus Photovoltaics, said, “The long-lasting cooperation between Heraeus and Solarspace has been good for our respective growth. Based on our in-depth and open cooperation, we have removed numerous technical barriers and witnessed the booming of Solarspace. We are now well prepared to help Solarspace grow sustainably by meeting its requirements for improved efficiency in a timely way.”

The partnership can be traced back to 2010 upon the inception of Solarspace. From the earliest single printing on slurry-cut silicon wafers to the current single/dual printing on addictive DWC wafers and black silicon, Heraeus has been involved in each technical upgrade of Solarspace, with generations of metallization pastes, including 9610X, 9621X, 9631X, 9641X and 9651X. Heraeus also provides long-term in-plant services and customized products, and carries out regular exchanges on R&D, promptly troubleshooting the problems with production lines and products for Solarspace, and offering individual solutions to improve cell efficiency.

In early 2018, Solarspace launched a plan called “10GW in 2020” to expand its annual capacity from the current 2GW to 10GW within the next two years. In the same timeframe, high-efficiency technologies such as mono PERC, SE and HIT will be introduced. As for this new development plan, Heraeus will collaborate with Solarspace in the next-generation process upgrade, reduce costs and improve efficiency in monocrystalline technology all the while mapping out a plan to tap into the applications of low temperature pastes. Numerous Heraeus patents in pastes will also enable Solarspace to provide industry-leading customers with the latest technical solutions.
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About Solarspace
Founded in 2010, Jiangsu Zhongyu Photovoltaic Technology Co., Ltd. is dedicated to the production of solar cells. It currently has a production site respectively in Peixian County, Jiangsu Province and Xuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, which mainly manufacture conventional multicrystalline silicon and black silicon cells with a total capacity of 2GW and a daily output of 1.3 million cells. Among its customer base are premium-brand module factories such as JinKoSolar, CSI, Trina and GCL. In early 2018, Solarspace launched a plan called
“10GW in 2020”. By the end of 2018, the two production sites will produce 3GW mono PERC cells, pushing the company’s overall capacity to 5GW. By the end of 2020, the company will add another 5GW of high efficiency cell capacity to join the 10GW Solar Club. At Solarspace, we put quality first and always work with the best suppliers to contribute to the clean energy industry.

About the Heraeus Photovoltaics Global Business Unit
The Heraeus Photovoltaics Global Business Unit is an industry leading developer and manufacturer of silver metallization pastes for the photovoltaic industry. For over 40 years, Heraeus has built a reputation of innovation, extensive research and new product development in thick film technologies for some of the most prominent companies within a variety of industries. In the field of photovoltaics, the Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit applies this history and its innovative technology to offer metallization pastes for solar cell applications. The Heraeus SOL Series of silver pastes is specially formulated to provide higher efficiencies and wider processing windows, resulting in better yields and higher output for cell manufacturers.

About Heraeus
A globally leading technology group, Heraeus is headquartered in Hanau, Germany. Founded in 1851, it is a family-owned portfolio company which traces its roots back to a pharmacy opened by the family in 1660. Today, Heraeus combines businesses in the environmental, energy, electronics, health, mobility and industrial applications sectors. In the 2017 financial year, Heraeus generated revenues of €21.8 billion. With approximately 13.000 employees in 40 countries, the FORTUNE Global 500-listed company holds a leading position in its global markets. Heraeus is one of the top 10 family-owned companies in Germany.

With technical expertise, a commitment to excellence, a focus on innovation and entrepreneurial leadership, we are constantly striving to improve our performance. We create high-quality solutions for our clients and strengthen their long-term competitiveness by combining unique material expertise with leadership in technology.

Heraeus has been present and active in the Greater China region, one of its top 3 markets, for more than 40 years. Today we have more than 2,600 employees in 20 locations across the region.