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After a decade of meticulous preparation, on December 27th, GCL Solar Energy held the groundbreaking ceremony for the world's first gigawatt-scale large-format (1.2 meters × 2.4 meters) perovskite production base in Kunshan High-tech Zone, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. This marks the official entry of GCL's perovskite into a new era of gigawatt-scale commercial operations.

 

This project has attracted significant attention from both the government and the industry. Just 10 days ago, on December 18th, with the witness of Liu Xiaotao, member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee, and Zhu Gongshan, Chairman of GCL Group, Kunshan Municipal People's Government and GCL Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement. The agreement specifies that GCL Group's subsidiary, Kunshan GCL Solar Energy Materials Co., Ltd. (referred to as "GCL Solar Energy"), will build 2 gigawatt-scale perovskite production lines in Kunshan in two phases.

 

At 10:58 in the morning, the groundbreaking ceremony officially commenced. Present at the scene were leaders including Zhou Wei, member of the Standing Committee of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Kunshan Municipal Party Committee, Chen Liyan, Deputy Secretary of the Kunshan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, Sun Daoxun, member of the Standing Committee of the Kunshan Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Kunshan High-tech Zone, Qian Xudong, Deputy Mayor of Kunshan, Kong Weihua, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Kunshan High-tech Zone, and Zhu Gongshan, Chairman of GCL Group. They witnessed the arrival of a new era in the third-generation solar cell technology.

 

"The construction of GCL Solar Energy's gigawatt-scale project is a new starting point achieved through mutual efforts and dedication by GCL and Kunshan," said Sun Daoxun, member of the Standing Committee of the Kunshan Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Kunshan High-tech Zone. Kunshan High-tech Zone will continue to uphold the concept of "responding to the needs of enterprises, providing solutions, and delivering results," vigorously promoting the early completion, commissioning, and effectiveness of the project. It is hoped that GCL Group will further leverage its industry influence and market guidance to facilitate more high-quality projects in Kunshan, attract more partners to join Kunshan, and work together to promote the high-end, intelligent, and green development of the industry.

 

In his speech, Zhu Gongshan stated that the groundbreaking of GCL's gigawatt-scale perovskite project completely realizes the localization of technology, equipment, and materials. It possesses complete independent intellectual property rights and is entirely created and manufactured in China, representing the highest global level of perovskite technology and commercial application. The commencement of the project's construction will inject warm energy into the photovoltaic industry, which has been affected by a downturn due to overcapacity, and is expected to usher in a new spring of innovative development for the photovoltaic industry.

 

In 2021, GCL Solar Energy completed the world's first perovskite hundred-megawatt-scale pilot line, taking the lead in the industry by transitioning perovskite module sizes from square centimeters to square meters. It became the only perovskite photovoltaic technology company capable of developing products using the commercial size of 1.2 meters × 2.4 meters. Currently, investment institutions such as Cathay Capital, Kunshan High-tech, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), Tencent, IDG Capital, Sequoia China, and Temasek have participated in multiple rounds of financing for GCL Solar Energy.

 

Data speaks volumes. On November 23rd, the official test report issued by the China National Institute of Metrology after authoritative certification showed that GCL Solar Energy's 1 meter × 2 meters perovskite module broke through the industry ceiling, achieving a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 18.04%, setting a new world record. In response, Fan Bin, Chairman of GCL Solar Energy, believes that a module efficiency of 18% is already comparable to current cadmium telluride modules, signifying the true opening of the door to mass production.

 

In fact, in 2023, GCL Solar Energy set the goal of commercial modules as its research and development target, breaking three world records in succession. It achieved excellent results with perovskite single-junction modules at 18.04% (2m²), stacked modules at 26.17% (1032cm²), and 26.34% (2048cm²), laying a solid foundation for the historic breakthrough of perovskite stacked modules beyond 26% (2.88m²).

 

Industry analysts believe that the construction of GCL Solar Energy's new base will provide a broader development space for GCL's perovskite, focusing on four dimensions: product type, production capacity, size, and efficiency. It will advance rapidly towards the goal of module size 1.2 meters × 2.4 meters and module conversion efficiency above 26%, achieving a historic breakthrough in perovskite stacked modules and leading the global perovskite module into the era of commercialization.

 

In April of this year, on the eve of perovskite entering mass production, the Group of Seven (G7) Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministers' Meeting issued a "Joint Statement," stating that they will "promote technological innovation in areas such as perovskite solar cells," drawing strong attention to this emerging star in the energy field.

 

It is reported that perovskite cells, as a third-generation new type of solar cell, have reached a consensus in the industry. They integrate all the advantages of photovoltaic cells, especially the "perovskite + crystalline silicon" stacked design, which can further improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency. At the same time, the perovskite cell preparation process is shorter and has lower energy consumption compared to traditional crystalline silicon cell processes, offering obvious cost advantages. The entire process of preparing perovskite modules has a maximum process temperature not exceeding 150 degrees Celsius, with energy consumption only one-tenth of crystalline silicon modules and unit investment in production capacity only about half of crystalline silicon. Moreover, perovskite photovoltaic modules have excellent characteristics such as light weight, low thickness, flexibility, and transparency, providing a richer application scenario compared to crystalline silicon cells, which can be used as photovoltaic panels for ground power stations and applied in scenarios such as BIPV curtain walls and electric vehicles.

 

"Starting from 2023, perovskite cell technology will officially enter the year of mass production," said Zhu Gongshan, Chairman of GCL Group. After crossing the most important threshold of mass production, large-format perovskite will confidently step into a new era of practical application, marking the successful upgrade of GCL's photovoltaic raw material research and intelligent manufacturing.