Tongwei and Trina Solar mark first ramp at 15GW cell, wafer facility

• The very first production line at a 15GW solar wafer and also cell production center in Chengdu co-owned by Trina Solar as well as Tongwei has actually started to ramp.

A ceremony to mark the start of manufacturing was held late last week, simply 32 days after manufacturing devices began to be set up at the website in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.

The facility is possessed by Tonghe New Energy, a joint endeavor established by cell carrier Tongwei and also 'Solar Module Super League' participant Trina Solar previously this year. It will certainly produce 210mm solar wafers as well as cells, increasing down on both makers' dedication to the M12 wafer style.

The facility is advanced as part of Trina and also Tongwei's cell and also wafer alliance which was struck last year to invest some US$ 2.3 billion to establish various upstream production projects in China. As well as the 15GW wafer and also cell fab in Chengdu, polysilicon and also silicon rod centers in Baotou as well as Leshan specifically were likewise announced.

All centers under the collaboration are to be possessed 65% by Tongwei as well as 35% by Trina Solar.

A declaration released by both events marking the beginning of production at the website admired the automated manufacturing facilities mounted at the site, specifying it marked the beginning of a "brand-new phase in lean manufacturing as well as manufacturing procedures".

The ramp also serves to further Trina Solar's buildout of its 210mm supply chain, as well as more especially the production ability of its Vertex series of PV modules, with the SMSL maker planning to develop a total module production capacity for the item range of 10GW by the end of this year and 30GW by 2023.