Chinese solar energy manufacturer TCL Zhonghuan said the board has approved a capacity upgrade project worth CNY2.6 billion ($382 million) to expand production capabilities for back-contact (BC) solar cells and modules. Upgrade work is expected to begin in July 2026, with the upgraded facilities expected to reach full production by the end of the first quarter of 2027. The company plans to invest CNY 1.4 billion to convert 20 GW of existing TOPCon cell capacity into BC cell production lines. The conversion will include a capacity of 6 GW at the Quzhou plant and 14 GW at the Xinzhou plant. Production of the upgraded cell lines is expected to be ramped up by the end of the third quarter of 2026. In addition, TCL Zhonghuan will invest CNY 1.2 billion to upgrade 25 GW of existing TOPCon module capacity to BC module production lines. The module upgrades include 3 GW in Quzhou, 4 GW in Yixing, 8 GW in Jingshan, 9 GW in Tianjin and 1 GW in Zhangzhou. These upgraded module lines are also expected to ramp up production by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
China Datang Group has released the shortlisted suppliers for the window purchase of PV modules and inverters for the period 2026-2027. The module tender covers a total of 11 GW, including 6 GW of n-type TOPCon modules, 1 GW of heterojunction (HJT) modules and 4 GW of BC modules. Fifteen leading Chinese module manufacturers, including JinkoSolar, Trina Solar and Longi, were shortlisted. The shortlisted bid prices ranged from CNY 0.705 ($0.091)/W to CNY 0.800/W ($0.104/W to $0.118/W) for TOPCon modules, CNY 0.741/W to CNY 0.772/W ($0.109/W to $0.114/W) for HJT modules, and CNY 0.790/W to CNY 0.812/W ($0.116/W to $0.119/W) for BC modules. The tender for inverters has a total amount of 9.5 GW, of which 8 GW is string inverters and 1.5 GW is central inverters. Zhuzhou Converter Technology National Engineering Research Center Co. Ltd., TBEA Xinjiang New Energy Co. Ltd. and Sineng Electric were shortlisted for string inverters. The first two companies were also shortlisted for the supply of central inverters.
