Taiwan-based solar cell maker Gintech plans to introduce P-type mono-crystalline solar cells with an efficiency of 20% in first-half 2013, according to Wen-Whe Pan, company president and COO. Pan added that initial mass production capacity has been set at 80MW. Market observers said demand in the high-efficiency solar cell market has been healthy and Gintech is likely to profit from developing mono-crystalline solar products.
Gintech has been seeing urgent orders from Japan, the US, and China recently, therefore the firm will continue operating throughout the Lunar New Year, said Pan.
Demand from Japan has been the most optimistic, said Pan. The urgent orders are likely caused by speculation that Japan may cut incentive rates at the end of first-quarter 2013, Pan stated. In addition, Japan-based customers have not been pessimistic about the magnitude of the subsidy cuts, hence orders should be healthy throughout 2013, Pan noted.
In the past, Gintech had been controlling the percentage of orders from China at less than 5% of total orders. However, due to changes in market structure, the firm plans to increase the percentage to 10% or 20% of total orders.
The mono-crystalline high-efficiency solar cell will be put into mass production and will be introduced to the market in first-half 2013, said Pan. Gintech cooperated with a Germany-based firm at the initial stage of development, said Pan. Afterward, Gintech conducted in-house R&D for the product.
Wen-Whe Pan, president and COO of Gintech
Photo: Digitimes file photo
