The impact of weak demand on the mono-crystalline solar sector has been relatively limited as players have not been expanding capacity as rapidly as their polysilicon competitors. With demand shifting to solar cells with higher conversion efficiency, mono-crystalline silicon wafer and cell firms are stepping up efforts trying to grab a bigger share of the market.
Although mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline cells have similar conversion efficiencies, the former have higher power loss than the latter after being packed into modules. Poly-crystalline silicon solar cells have been the mainstream due to the fact that mono-crystalline silicon solar cells require higher quality of upstream materials, which means higher production costs.
But while poly-silicon players were hit hard in the second quarter because of over-supply, many mono-crystalline silicon solar product firms were able to run at full capacity. With the overall solar market recovering in the third quarter, mono-silicon firms are now revising their strategies to address the issue of solar modules' higher power loss, industry sources said.
A mono-silicon solar cell with an ex-factory conversion efficiency of 18.5% may decrease to 18.2% when assembled into modules. Now some cell makers will sell their solar cells with the quotes of conversion efficiency of 18.2% instead of 18.5%. In another words, the mono-silicon solar cell makers will absorb the costs from the 0.3 percentage points of power loss.
The sources noted such strategy can reduce the loss incurred for solar module makers and allow more accurate cost calculations, which is attracting more solar module firms to adopt mono-silicon cells.
The main market for mono-silicon solar cells is China, added the sources. Taiwan-based solar wafer maker Sino-American Silicon (SAS) is one of the few firms that produce mono-crystalline silicon wafers.
Mono-silicon solar players stepping up competition
Photo: Digitimes file photo
Article translated by Jackie Chang
