(Yicai) March 29 -- Longi Green Energy Technology has unveiled a new wafer that can be used to make a wide range of N-type high-efficiency solar cells. The Chinese solar panel giant plans to start mass production in September.

The Tairui wafer can be used to produce N-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), heterojunction technology (HJT), and back contact (BC) solar cells, Longi announced yesterday. It can be supplied to all high-efficiency solar cell manufacturers that adopt the three technologies, the Xi’an-based firm added.

Longi plans to switch to making the new wafer at all of its plants as soon as possible, according to Deng Hao, head of the firm's silicon wafer research and development center. The company shipped a small-batch of Tairui wafers last year, Deng said.

Tairui wafers can help enhance downstream solar cell photoelectric conversion efficiency and improve the quality of photovoltaic modules, Deng said. With production growing, costs may fall to the level of existing wafers or even lower despite the high initial expense of using new technologies, Deng added.

With fierce competition in the wafer market, new products that can bring value to clients will likely help suppliers secure higher product premiums and market shares, an industry insider told Yicai.

China has a glut of solar wafer production capacity, which has caused prices to drop about 20 percent since last December and has cut profit margins at suppliers, with some already in the red.

Longi's solar wafer shipments reached 52 gigawatts in the first half of last year, giving it a global market share of 23 percent. Its annual output capacity was 190 GW as of the end of 2023.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev