In the photovoltaic industry chain, the battery link is the core that drives the progress of photovoltaic technology, and it is also the driving force to promote the continuous cost reduction and efficiency increase of the industry. Throughout the development of the past ten years, whether it is the P-type era to catch up, or the N-type era of TOPCON, HJT and XBC to bloom, the technological iteration process of photovoltaic cells is also the development history of battery companies.
The first era of Taiwanese enterprises
Before 2015, Taiwan's solar cell companies were "incomparable", and Yujing, Mody, and New Sunlight maintained their top 10 positions in the world.
According to relevant statistics, in 2010, Taiwan's solar cell production accounted for 14% of the world's total, when there were as many as 54 solar cell companies in Taiwan, and the output of solar cells reached 34gw。In 2013, Taiwan's solar cell shipments hit 83GW reached a new high, and the shipments of Mody, New Nikko and Yujing all exceeded 1GW.
It was not until 2014 that the turning point quietly came, when the United States imposed anti-dumping duties on photovoltaic modules made in China, and the tax rate of Yujing in Taiwan was 2759%, 4418% (later revised to 20.)86%), and the rest of the enterprises were 3589%, the United States anti-dumping and anti-dumping forces have caused Taiwan's battery companies to be hit hard.
On the other hand, the iteration of battery technology of Taiwanese companies is also slow. At that time, JA Solar and Canadian Solar in mainland China took the lead in adopting PERC technology, which greatly improved the efficiency of monocrystalline cell modules. Affected by the low orders and high retrofit costs, most Taiwanese battery companies have suspended the mass production of PERC cells and chose the original equipment to produce p-type polysilicon cells.
In the first half of 2015, Taiwan's top 10 solar manufacturers lost nearly NT$5.7 billion, and many battery companies chose to merge to find a way out. At the end of June, Motech merged with Lianjing, and in July, Yujing Energy and Tongwei reached a strategic cooperation and stock subscription agreement, and Tongwei Group invested NT$8500 million yuan invested in Yujing Energy. In November of the same year, Inmoda purchased Inmoda 4847% equity.
In 2017, Taiwan's three major solar companies, Yujing, NSP and Solartech, merged to form United Renewables, with a combined cell production capacity of 45GW, becoming the largest battery manufacturer in Taiwan. In the 2018 PVINFOLINK battery company ranking, United Renewable Energy surpassed Motech to enter the top four in the world (excluding integrated enterprises).
In 2019, following the closure of factories by Motech and Sino-American Silicon Crystal, Yitong Solar announced the suspension of solar cell production, and Taiwanese battery companies officially withdrew from the top 10 in the world. In July 2020, United Renewable Energy (URE) announced that it would locate its battery manufacturing plant in Jhunan Kebei in order to consolidate its production capacity. In the midst of ups and downs, Taiwan's battery companies have gone from the first era to loneliness.
A new faucet rises
In the past ten years, Taiwan's solar cell companies have experienced glory and decline. On the other side of the strait, mainland companies are accumulating strength and catching up with the new technological changes of monocrystalline PERC. Among them, it is commendable that the rise of the two leading companies of Tongwei and Aixu.
In 2013, Tongwei threw 8700 million yuan to acquire Hefei Saiwei and restart Saiwei battery production line. In 2015, Tongwei took the lead in expanding new production capacity in Chengdu and switched its technical route to monocrystalline cells. By 2017, Tongwei's battery production capacity increased to 54GW, in one fell swoop, topped the list of specialized battery companies.
In the following years, Tongwei increased its investment in PECR cells, and by the end of 2019, Tongwei's cell production capacity reached 20GW, including 17GW of high-efficiency monocrystalline cells. Tongwei, which has "laid the foundation for the country", has further consolidated its leading position and quickly responded to new needs such as large size. In the first half of 2023, Tongwei has formed a 90GW solar cell production capacity.
Aiko's battery road began in 2009, 2010-2011, Aiko.
The first and second phases of the battery production line were completed and put into operation. As a professional battery manufacturer, Aiko has opened up the market with high-quality products and successively obtained orders from leading module companies. In 2015, Aiko began mass production of monocrystalline cells.
In 2017, Aiko's restructuring was completed, and its tubular PERC technology successfully moved from the laboratory to the production workshop, making Aiko the first company in the industry to mass-produce PERC batteries using tubular PERC.
It was also in this year that Aiko landed in the TOP4 of the world's leading professional battery manufacturers, and started its journey as a battery leader.
According to the list of InfoLink over the years, it does not include integrated enterprises
In addition to Tongwei and Aixu, in the global TOP5 list, the competition for the latter three is particularly fierce. Runyang, Zhongyu, and Zhanyu entered the top 5 list in 2019, and then the three companies chased after me, and Lu'an Solar replaced Zhanyu in the top five in the year. And in 2022, UNIEX PV, which was renamed Jietai Technology, once again broke into the global top 5.
In terms of industrial layout, enterprises are also different. Since 2021, the structural imbalance between supply and demand in the industrial chain has led to varying degrees of damage to photovoltaic enterprises.
Tongwei and Aiko have extended the module manufacturing industry chain downward, especially since Tongwei entered the module field, it has quickly ranked among the top 10 in global module shipments. According to the plan, its module production capacity will reach 80GW by the end of 2023.
Runyang Co., Ltd. chose to extend upstream and downstream to build polysilicon and module production lines.
In the past four years, the photovoltaic cell business of Zhongrun Solar has accounted for more than 90%, which is in the absolute core position, and the module business accounts for less than 10%.
Jietai Solar still focuses on the R&D, production and sales of high-efficiency solar cells.
N-shaped new round
Since 2022, under the tide of n-type technology iteration, leading battery companies have chosen different technical routes. At the same time, there are also more rookie companies pouring into the battery track, intending to overtake in corners.
Tongwei has a presence in both TOPCon and HJT routes, and expects its TNC cell production capacity based on TOPCon technology to reach 66GW in the first half of 2024.
Aiko chose ABC technology and took the lead in mass production. On December 20, Aiko released the new Stellar series based on ground application scenarios, realizing the full-scene coverage of centralized, industrial, commercial, and residential use in ABC technology.
Jietai Technology bets on TOPCon technology, and it is understood that its N-type battery shipments will be 656GW, ranking first, and its n-type production capacity will reach 44GW by the end of 2023.
Zhongrun Solar also chose TOPCon technology, and the data shows that as of the end of June this year, Zhongrun Solar had 45 cell production capacity04GW, which is expected to exceed 50GW by the end of 2023.
Relatively speaking, the integrated layout of Runyang shares, if the project is carried out smoothly, it will have more advantages in cost.
It is foreseeable that the competition among the head camps of the battery industry will be fierce in the future. In the context of the differentiation of integration and specialization, more and more new professional battery forces are emerging. Among them, there are not only photovoltaic veterans, but also shareholders with strong financial strength to enter the game, and their strength should not be underestimated.
For example, Heguang Tongcheng, led by photovoltaic veteran Xie Yi, has an initial planned battery production capacity of 32GW, and the first phase of 16GW has been put into production, and the second phase has started. The first phase of the 20GW high-efficiency battery project of Zhengqi Solar, a subsidiary of Legend Holdings, was put into production.
According to incomplete statistics, up to now, the battery rookie has been put into production, with a production capacity of more than 60GW. By 2024, the production capacity will be further expanded, and in the crowded track, a new reshuffle is inevitable!