• The Meyer Burger group closes a syndicated loan agreement for EUR 125 million and a factoring agreement for EUR 60 million.

• The debt financing of EUR 185 million serves to expand the annual production capacity to reach 1.4 GW of solar cells in Thalheim (Bitterfeld-Wolfen), Germany and 1 GW of modules in Freiberg, Germany.

• Meyer Burger is no longer planning to sell solar cells to third parties but will instead process all solar cells from its own production into modules.A second module factory is planned to start operations in 2022 with an initial capacity of 0.4 GW, balancing cell and module capacity.

• Meyer Burger thus accelerates its expansion plans, already aiming to reach a nominal cell and module capacity of 1.4 GW each by the end of 2022.

The loan agreement for EUR 125 million with a syndicate led by Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden, Germany was signed on June 15, 2021. Further lenders include a group of savings, development and cooperative banks.

The loan, which matures on June 30, 2027, is to be used to finance investments to expand production capacity at the Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) and Freiberg (Saxony, Germany) production sites.

Eighty percent of the loan volume is guaranteed by the Federal Republic of Germany and by the federal states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The disbursement conditions of the syndicated loan agreement require Meyer Burger to raise additional financing in the amount of EUR 100 million by June 2022.

The factoring agreement for EUR 60 million with a German specialist bank for working capital finance has a term until June 30, 2024. Both credit facilities were concluded at standard market conditions, including customary financial covenants.

Meyer Burger has previously communicated its plan to raise CHF 180 million in debt financing by 2022 to further expand its production capacity to 1.4 GW of cells and 0.8 GW of modules.

With the new financing package, the Board of Directors of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd (SIX Swiss Exchange: MBTN) intends to accelerate the expansion with 1.4 GW of cell and module production capacity already by the end of 2022, thereby closing the gap between module and cell capacity.

The intention is to achieve an annual module production capacity of 1 GW in Freiberg, Germany and initially 0.4 GW at a second module fab location by the end of 2022.

As part of the revised strategy, the Board of Directors has decided not to sell its HJT solar cells to third parties as previously planned, but to process the entire cell production into modules itself.

Chairman of the Board of Directors Franz Richter commented: “Meyer Burger can now focus entirely on the higher-margin module business. At the same time, the financing package enables us to expand our business faster.”

A selection process for the second module production site is ongoing. The company intends to design the second module plant for producing utility modules but with the flexibility to also produce rooftop modules in line with market demand.

Meyer Burger plans to introduce utility products (glass–foil modules and bifacial glass–glass modules) with up to 570 W module power and up to 22.9% efficiency in 2022.

By 2026, the company plans to increase both cell and module production capacity to 5 GW each and to reach 7 GW each by 2027. This will also require the establishment of further manufacturing sites. CEO Gunter Erfurt added: “Now, we can drive the capacity expansion for our high-performance cells and modules at full speed.

The extensive due diligence by the bank consortium and their independent advisors validates our business case and the growth plan.” Meyer Burger has presented its first rooftop products to the market in April 2021, together with a growing list of major distribution partners.

The company is now receiving orders, with average sales prices according to plan. The ramp-up of the first 0.4 GW production capacity is currently in progress and first module shipments are expected for July 2021.

Revenue expectation of at least CHF 550 million for 2023

Based on the revised strategy, the current market development and the announced accelerated schedule, the company expects sales of at least CHF 550 million (EUR 500 million) for 2023 with a gross margin of at least 40%, an EBITDA margin of at least 25% and a net debt to EBITDA ratio of less than 1.5.

The shipped product mix in 2023 is planned to include up to 30% of utility modules. The long-term goals for 2027 remain unchanged with expected sales of at least CHF 2.0 billion (EUR 1.8 billion), EBITDA margin of at least 30% and a net cash position.1)

About Meyer Burger Technology Ltd

www.meyerburger.com

Meyer Burger is starting production of high-performance solar cells and solar modules in 2021. Its proprietary heterojunction/SmartWire technology enables the company to set new industry standards in terms of energy yield.

With solar cells and modules developed in Switzerland and manufactured in Germany according to high sustainability standards, Meyer Burger aims to become a leading European photovoltaic company.

The company currently employs around 600 people at research facilities in Switzerland, development and manufacturing sites in Germany and sales offices in Europe, the USA and Asia.

Meyer Burger was founded in 1953 in Switzerland. As a provider of production systems, the company has shaped the development of the global photovoltaic industry along the entire value chain in recent decades and has set essential industry standards. A large part of the solar modules produced worldwide today are based on technologies developed by Meyer Burger.

The registered shares of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker: MBTN).

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements”, such as guidance, expectations, plans, intentions, or strategies regarding the future. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties.

The reader is cautioned that actual future results may differ from those expressed in or implied by the statements, which constitute projections of possible developments.

All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on data available to Meyer Burger Technology Ltd as of the date that this press release is published.

The company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

New product line addresses growing global demand for building-integrated photovoltaic solutions.

International solar supplier Targray has unveiled a line of high-efficiency solar modules for building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) systems. Featuring a range of solar tiles, shingles and wall panels that integrate seamlessly with any building’s cladding, the new product line addresses the growing demand for functional, aesthetically appealing solar energy solutions in commercial and residential real estate markets.

Targray BIPV modules are produced in a multitude of sizes, shapes, colors and patterns, enabling real estate developers and contractors to introduce solar power generation without compromising the architectural integrity of their projects. They are manufactured from high-efficiency crystalline or thin-film solar cells capable of delivering a power conversion efficiency of up to 20%.

BIPV Module Features & Benefits

• More power generation per square foot than traditional solar modules
• Excellent weather protection, thermal insulation, noise mitigation and safety features
• Customizable sizes, colors, patterns and finishes to ensure seamless integration
• Attractive aesthetics thanks to a sleek, hidden fastening system
• Lightweight, thin and easy to install
• Strong and durable; Backed by a 10-year product warranty and a 25-year efficiency warranty
• Certifications: IEC 61646, IEC 61730, GB 29551-2013, UL 1703(UL), FCC Part 15B, ISO 9001

Targray’s new line of BIPV modules is supported by a global team of product specialists capable of assisting customers in the planning, design and execution of their construction and retrofit projects. For more information and product specifications, visit Targray.com/solar.

About Targray

Targray is an international leader in the sourcing, transportation, storage, trading and supply of commodities and advanced materials for the biofuels, solar, battery, energy storage and agricultural commodities sectors.

Working alongside global partners, the company is focused on accelerating the growth and development sustainable industries through collaboration, innovation and value creation.

Established in Montreal in 1987, Targray is one of the fastest-growing privately owned companies in Canada. Drawing on 3 decades of experience in international trade, logistics, and risk management, the company is focused on delivering products & services that create sustainable value for its customers in over 50 countries.

Targray has been headquartered in Kirkland, Quebec since 2008. It operates regional offices in the United States, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, India, China, and the United Arab Emirates.

Start towards environmentally friendly solar cell technology “Made in Europe” and important step towards more energy sovereignty in Europe.

Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, and Minister of Economics, Prof. Armin Willingmann, are impressed by the investments in this technology of the future and the creation of high-quality jobs.Production starts with an annual capacity of 400 megawatts, capacity expansion to 5 gigawatts targeted by 2026.

The opening of the new plant took place digitally against the backdrop of the COVID 19 pandemic. On-site, CEO Gunter Erfurt welcomed several people in person and virtually, including the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, the Minister for Economics, Science and Digitalization of Saxony-Anhalt, Prof. Armin Willingmann, and Armin Schenk, Mayor of Bitterfeld-Wolfen.

In addition, the Swiss Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, Paul R. Seger, had sent a word of greeting. The opening will be covered in a video that can be seen on Meyer Burger’s website and social media channels.

The “Solar Valley” is once again becoming a symbol for a successful European solar industry. In addition to the ideal infrastructure, Meyer Burger relies on first-class trained and experienced personnel in the region.

With the first expansion phase of 400 megawatts, Meyer Burger has already created around 350 high-quality jobs at two new locations.

Meyer Burger’s proprietary Heterojunction/SmartWire technology, developed over twelve years, is setting new performance and sustainability benchmarks for solar modules. Meyer Burger builds its supply chains as locally as possible; the most important raw material, polysilicon, comes from Europe.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems confirmed earlier this year that solar cell production in Bitterfeld-Wolfen has significant environmental benefits compared to conventional manufacturing.

This was rewarded by the German state of Saxony-Anhalt with a commitment for an environmental protection grant of up to 15 million euros and an investment grant of up to 7.5 million euros.

The production equipment developed at Meyer Burger’s Neuchâtel and Thun sites and built-in Hohenstein-Ernstthal (Saxony) is now being put into operation. Production in Thalheim will be ramped up in June. In the highly automated full operation, up to 200,000 solar cells will roll off the production line every day.

The Thalheim site currently has a total area of 27,000 square meters. This is sufficient for the targeted rapid expansion to 1.4 gigawatts of solar cell capacity. In addition to production, Meyer Burger will accommodate important company divisions here, including sales and marketing. The solar cells will be processed into solar modules in Freiberg.

Meyer Burger will open its solar module plant there on May 26, 2021, and the first modules will be shipped from there starting in July.

Reiner Haseloff said: “This investment gives the energy transition in Saxony-Anhalt another concrete shape and new impetus. With forty years of experience in photovoltaics, Meyer Burger is a company that fits the Bitterfeld-Wolfen location.

This is because we have a wide range of experience in the industry here and, of course, a motivated and well-trained workforce. Meyer Burger is indeed setting standards in renewable energy technology, and we are therefore pleased to welcome the company to Saxony-Anhalt.”

Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann, commented on the opening: “Meyer Burger has succeeded in establishing a new production site for solar cells and modules in Bitterfeld-Wolfen in a very short time and has created high-quality jobs.

This shows in an exemplary manner that Saxony-Anhalt has developed into an attractive location for national and international investors. The fact that the solar industry is picking up new momentum here is no coincidence: over the past five years in particular, we have networked business and science more closely and made targeted investments in both areas.

The availability of skilled workers and the opportunity to drive forward development projects in cooperation with scientific institutions is what makes Saxony-Anhalt so attractive as a business location today. Meyer Burger’s major investment is making a decisive contribution to further developing Saxony-Anhalt into a state of future technologies.”

CEO Gunter Erfurt thanked the politicians for their support and said: “Meyer Burger is setting a milestone at the historic solar site Solar Valley on Europe’s path to greater strategic independence in the key technology of photovoltaics. This is an example of the European industry’s successful ability to transform towards sustainable business.

There is a unique opportunity to become an innovative global pacesetter in the field of renewable energies, to create high-quality jobs in the region, and to provide our customers attractive products for the generation of climate-friendly and competitive electrical energy.”

Polysilicon quotations had elevated drastically this week, with no stoppages seen just yet.

Most polysilicon businesses have signed for the long-term orders of this month after the Labor Day holiday, with the average concluded price of mono polysilicon sitting at roughly RMB 155/kg, though the continuously rising concluded prices for partial sporadic orders have actuated the mainstream quotations for mono polysilicon to RMB 148-162/kg, whereas multi polysilicon is now RMB 65-80/kg in mainstream quotations.

Most polysilicon businesses have commented that the recent polysilicon quotations have yet to stop wafer businesses from requesting quotes, and the supply of polysilicon resources remains severely constrained.

An observation on the production, operation, and shipment status of the polysilicon sector indicates that polysilicon businesses have successively begun overhaul starting from May, which is expected to impact partial output of Xinte Energy and Daqo New Energy.

In addition, GCL-Poly and OCI are also planning for an overhaul during the third quarter, when the shortage in polysilicon is anticipated to be the most serious.

Apart from the intensive overhaul that impacts the supply of polysilicon, the successive release in wafer capacity from Gaojing and SANY in the second half of 2021 will also contribute to the aggravated shortages in wafers during the third quarter, which may once again surge the relevant prices to new heights.

Wafers

Wafer quotations continued to elevate this week, and the multi-Si wafer market is filled with a strong wait-and-see attitude. The inflation in polysilicon has yet to suspend after the Labor Day Holiday, and wafers are forced to follow up on the inflation due to cost pressure.

As indicated by the latest list prices of CMC, the quotations for all mono-Si products have marginally risen, and the inflation of various sized 175μm products is at 7.92%-9.05%. Despite no new list prices by another leading business, static surrounding an inflation has been manifested.

The average prices of G1 and M6 mono-Si wafers are now sitting at RMB 4.2/pc and RMB 4.35/pc respectively, whereas G12 wafers are now RMB 7.15/pc in average price.

In terms of multi-Si wafers, the pandemic status in India has resulted in restricted accesses between cities, and a number of government agencies have been temporarily shut down. Multi-Si wafer suppliers and clients are currently upholding a wait-and-see attitude, and businesses are less willing in signing for long-term orders, whereas the incessant inflation in multi-Si products has elevated the overall domestic and overseas average concluded prices to RMB 2.05/W and US$0.282/W.

Judging by the overall wafer market, the insufficient supply of wafers in May may result in a continuous rise in prices. The purchase willingness in mono and multi-Si wafers remains strong, where the relevant shipment is comparatively smooth.

Longi is likely to continue elevating the prices of wafers in mid-May, and the lack of polysilicon supply has prompted partial businesses to actively negotiate with traders on outsourcing wafers, whereas integrated businesses are also constrained by the supply of polysilicon, which will lower the output of wafers.

Cells

Cell quotations had slightly risen this week, with downstream procurement demand intensified at the same time. After a marginal increase in the quotations for upstream polysilicon and wafers, leading cell businesses have also implemented new pricing on the products at an increase of RMB 0.02-0.03/W, which pushes the average prices of G1 and M6 to RMB 0.96/W and RMB 0.9/W respectively.

Sources have commented that the inflation trend has yet to suspend in the cell market, and there have been new changes to cell prices in the market after the latest quotations published by leading businesses, where partial mono-Si G12 products can go as high as RMB 0.98/W in quotations. However, there were fewer concluded orders this week, with most of them still in the negotiation phase, which led to the average prices of M10 and G12 cells being RMB 0.91/W and RMB 0.92/W respectively.

An observation on the overall cell market indicates that the demand for G1 and M6 cells has been propelled alongside a recovered operating rate from the module end, and that the upstream wafer sector has a higher tolerance in polysilicon inflation by incorporating the anticipated polysilicon prices in the rise of quotations, which induced a continuous transmission of cost pressure to the downstream sector.

The insufficient supply of wafers continues to impact the operating rate of cells in May, and integrated businesses are also producing cells using their existing wafer inventory.

M10 and G12 cells are currently in market promotion, and with the demand yet to release in an extensive scale, downstream businesses are implementing procurement through lowering the cost of cells, which further contracts the price differences between M10 & G12 cells and M6.

Modules

The overall module prices remained sturdy this week, with apparent signs in rising quotations from businesses in the subsequent market. Leading businesses are currently finalizing on prices, where the average price of the 325-335W/395-405W and the 355-365/430-440W mono-Si modules remain at RMB 1.62/W and RMB 1.72/W respectively.

Despite temporal sturdiness in module prices this week, as well as comparatively robust PV glass prices, where the price difference between single glass and bifacial glass modules is maintained at RMB 0.05/W, module makers are preparing to increase the prices in the face of cost pressure coming from the upstream sector.

Recent tenders have reflected the tendency in rising module prices, and the elevating prices of cables and frames required by end projects have directly ascended the EPC cost of power stations, which resulted in the primary market demand being impelled by ground projects and the residential market.

Regarding overseas markets, the extended cost and cycle in transportation, especially with the course reduction by shipping companies, have intensified on the pressure of shipping, and the inflation in modules has induced a postponement for partial projects in the end market.

For the traditional markets, businesses have commented that their existing and new orders are primarily invigorated by ground power stations and market distribution, including the catch-up on partial projects. Pertaining to emerging markets, the larger level of sensitivity towards inflation has led to decelerated progresses for a number of markets.

Source: energytrend 

Growatt wins TÜV Rheinland’s All Quality Matters Award for its ARK battery

SHANGHAI : Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ) (“Daqo New Energy”, the “Company” or “we”), a leading manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon for the global solar PV industry, today announced that its subsidiary Xinjiang Daqo New Energy had signed long-term high-purity polysilicon supply agreements with a subsidiary of JA Solar (SZ:002459).

Under the supply agreement with JA Solar, Daqo New Energy will provide JA Solar with high-purity mono-grade polysilicon in a total amount of approximately 78,200 MT between July 2021 and December 2025. Actual volume and prices will be negotiated monthly by both parties according to market conditions. As part of the supply agreement, JA Solar will make an advance payment to Daqo New Energy.

Mr. Longgen Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Daqo New Energy, commented, “We are very pleased to further strengthen our cooperation with JA Solar, a leading company of high-quality and high-efficiency solar PV products and solutions.

With our Phase 4B project expected to come online in Q1 2022, we will enter another growth phase and be able to provide more ultra-high purity polysilicon to the market. We look forward to continuing to work together with our customers to provide more first-class products and solutions to the fast-growing global solar PV market.”

About JA Solar

JA Solar is a manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic products. With 12 manufacturing bases and more than 20 branches around the world, the company’s business covers silicon wafers, cells, modules and photovoltaic power stations.

JA Solar products are available in 135 countries and regions and are used extensively in ground-mounted power plants, commercial & industrial rooftop PV systems and residential rooftop PV systems.

With its advantages of continuous technological innovation, sound financial performance, and well-established global sales and service networks, JA Solar has been well received and highly recognized by clients from home and abroad. The company has been listed on Fortune China 500 and Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises for several consecutive years.

About Daqo New Energy Corp

Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ) (“Daqo” or the “Company”) is a leading manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon for the global solar PV industry.

Founded in 2007, the Company is one of the world’s lowest cost producers of high-purity polysilicon. It has a total annual capacity of 70,000 metric tons of high-purity polysilicon, with another 35,000 metric tons polysilicon capacity under construction expected to reach full capacity by the end of first quarter of 2022.

For more information, please visit www.dqsolar.com

Kahl am Main : The SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG (SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES) has concluded an agreement for the development of next generation vacuum coating machines with its long time customer, China National Building Materials (CNBM). The intended use case is the production of CdTe thin-film solar modules.

For several years SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has already been supplying production machines to the CNBM Group for the manufacturing of CIGS thin-film solar modules.

A new additional cooperation was now agreed for the application area of CdTe thin-film solar cells. In addition to the four already existing CIGS sites, CNBM plans several other production sites for CdTe solar cells with an output volume exceeding one gigawatt.

It is the mutual goal of SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES and CNBM to develop and supply new coating machines in order to further reduce the production costs, to improve cell performance and to also increase the production output.

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, Chief Executive Officer of the SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG, remarks: “Our vacuum coating machines are a key step for the entire production process.

In addition to machines applying sputtering technology, we are also offering machines working on the principles of thermal evaporation.” Dr. Rinck adds: “The CdTe thin-film technology by CNBM will meet the high demands of the market even more in the future through the use of new coating equipment.”

The production capacities for CdTe and CIGS solar modules in China are set to increase substantially in the coming years. CNBM plans additional investments at several sites in China.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is involved in all important projects in China with machines for the various processes and is currently discussing the realization of the projects for the planned CdTe production sites with CNBM.

The new agreement and the current developments show that overall the Solar segment is picking up again, that delayed projects are gaining momentum and that new investments are initiated or implemented.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES – Technologies for a Sustainable World

Responsible and sustainable corporate governance is very important to SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES develops and assembles innovative machines and systems for efficient and resource-saving production processes, which are used worldwide in the solar/hydrogen, semiconductor, medical technology, consumer goods and data storage sectors.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES regards sustainability as an opportunity to position itself with innovative products that follow this spirit.

In the focus are:

• environmental awareness
• efficient use of resources
• avoidance of unnecessary CO2 pollution

The company’s core competencies include various processes of coating technology, surface treatment and wet-chemical and thermal production processes.

Industry-leading solar modules based on patented Swiss technology produced in Germany with additional energy yield of up to 20 percent compared to standard products.

Three different product variants available: white, black and glass-glass in standard size for roof systems and weight less than 20 kilograms

Rethinking solar energy according to the guiding principle “The best. From here. For tomorrow”: industry-leading energy yield and outstanding appearance, proprietary technology with a local manufacturing strategy, and a truly sustainable product

Installers can order solar modules immediately from distributors. Agreements concluded with well-known partners

Digital services for customers via smartphone app

Sales focus on Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Benelux region, Italy, France, Poland, the UK, the Nordic countries, and the USA

Experienced solar sales expert Sven Stoffers joins as Head of Sales per beginning of May

Opening of German solar cell and module manufacturing facilities in May, production start in June, first shipments in July 2021

At an online product premiere on its website and social media channels, Meyer Burger Technology Ltd will unveil its new high-performance solar modules today at 3 p.m. (CEST, April 27, 2021).

A recording will be available after the online premiere on the company’s website as well as on Meyer Burger’s YouTube and Facebook channels. Three patent-protected product variants will be presented, all of which manufactured using the proprietary heterojunction/SmartWire technology in the company’s own production facilities in Germany.

According to the guiding principle “The best. From here. For tomorrow”, Meyer Burger is setting new industry standards with its new solar modules in terms of performance, origin and sustainability. “We optimize our solar modules for maximum energy yield.

They bring decisive differences compared to conventional products,” said Moritz Borgmann, responsible for global sales and marketing as Managing Director of Meyer Burger (Industries) GmbH. “The next-generation solar cells, which we interconnect with our proprietary SmartWire interconnection technology, enable our customers to achieve up to 20 percent higher energy yield on the same roof area.”

The significantly higher energy yield over the service life is enabled by a top-class module conversion efficiency of up to 21.8 percent. On top, Meyer Burger’s modules produce significantly more energy from each watt-peak. For example, the modules lose only very little performance due to high temperature, low-light conditions or non-perpendicular incidence of light.

Borgmann noted that there is only one product feature in which the company is following the standard: “We achieve this industry-leading energy yield and up to 400 watt-peak module power without having to make the modules ever larger, as our competitors do. This allows installers to make the most of their customers’ roofs and to work with modules of familiar size and manageable weight.”

The company initially offers the three product variants Meyer Burger White, Black and Glass in the rooftop market for residential and small commercial customers. Meyer Burger solar modules feature a homogeneous “full cell” appearance, even though half cells are used.

Due to the proprietary SmartWire interconnection technology, the “Meyer Burger Black” in particular appears uniformly black. The heterojunction/SmartWire technology also effectively prevents so-called “microcracks”, a major cause of ubiquitous performance degradation. In addition, Meyer Burger employs a special backsheet that significantly increases the robustness and durability of the modules and thus also their lifetime energy yield.

All variants therefore exhibit superior longevity, underpinned with performance guarantees of more than 92 percent for the “Meyer Burger White” and “Meyer Burger Black” after 25 years, and even more than 93 percent for the especially robust “Meyer Burger Glass” after 30 years.

This module with a transparent glass back is bifacial, which means that light captured on the backside is also converted into electricity. The module sets a record for the highest bifacial output of a solar module ever produced in volume, with a so-called bifaciality factor of 90 percent.

The panel achieves a combined output of over 430 watt-peak at standard measurement conditions (BSTC). A special, proprietary “gapless” cell arrangement also makes ideal use of the module’s surface area, which additionally increases the energy yield.

Meyer Burger relies on products “from here”, with its own technology, developed at its Swiss and German sites. As a result, the company also has a short-, medium- and long-term roadmap that safeguards its technology leadership in the long term.

Both the solar cells and modules are manufactured in plants in the heart of Europe. The resulting proximity to customers – end customers, installers and wholesalers – is a unique differentiator for Meyer Burger.

The company also strives to set up its supply chains locally to the greatest extent possible. Already today, the entire silicon used as well as other components are sourced from Europe. Meyer Burger is thus also contributing to Europe’s strategic independence in the key technology of photovoltaics and to the resilience of supply chains.

Meyer Burger’s products are aimed at customers who think about “tomorrow” also when it comes to solar modules and who attach great importance to sustainability.

The modules are manufactured according to the highest social and environmental standards, as evidenced, among other things, by a substantial grant from the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, for significantly more environmentally friendly manufacturing compared to today’s established production technologies.

Meyer Burger’s plants in Germany draw 100 percent of their electrical energy from renewable sources. What’s more, the modules are all free of toxic lead and therefore already compliant with the European RoHS Regulation (Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment), for which the photovoltaic industry currently enjoys a temporary exemption.

Furthermore, Meyer Burger is striving for a solution for almost complete recycling of the modules, contributing to the circular economy.

For the sales of its new high-efficiency solar modules, Meyer Burger is working with leading international distributors, including: BayWa r.e., IBC Solar, KdiSolar, Krannich Solar, Memodo, Solarmarkt, Solen Energy Europe and Sonepar Germany. Meyer Burger thus achieves coverage of its focus markets of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Benelux region, Italy, France, Poland, the UK, the Nordic countries and the USA. Further distribution partners can be found on www.meyerburger.com and will additionally be announced in the coming weeks. Installers can order from the partners as of now, with delivery of the first modules starting before the end of July 2021.

Private and commercial end customers interested in Meyer Burger’s solar modules can find specialist partners and installers at www.meyerburger.com or in the new Meyer Burger app, which is available for download in the app stores (iOS and Android) and offers additional services around Meyer Burger’s solar modules, including a solar calculator, an installer directory for end customers and an installer area. Meyer Burger will continue to expand its digital services for its customers in the future.

Meyer Burger is continuously growing its sales and marketing organization. From May on, Meyer Burger will additionally strengthen its management team with a solar sales expert well known in the market: Sven Stoffers will report to Managing Director Moritz Borgmann as Head of Sales and will be responsible for Meyer Burger’s sales activities worldwide with the exception of the USA.

Sven Stoffers has many years of experience in building up sales organizations and successfully selling solar modules. Following leading sales roles at SolarWorld AG, he served most recently as Head of Sales for the DACH region at solar module manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS.

The new production facilities in Bitterfeld-Wolfen and Freiberg will be opened at the end of May and will then gradually start mass production. In the first phase, a nominal annual capacity of 400 MW will be set up, to be expanded to 5 GW by 2026.

Fraunhofer ISE has been developing photovoltaic technologies, since it was founded forty years ago. Over this period, the institute’s research has contributed significantly to the establishment of solar electricity today as the most cost-effective form of energy supply worldwide.

In order to maintain and strengthen its global leadership position in solar energy research, Fraunhofer ISE has now gained a new laboratory building, which was funded in equal parts by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF and the State of Baden-Württemberg.

The new Center for High Efficiency Solar Cells was officially opened on April 27, 2021 in a virtual ceremony. In his welcoming address on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Fraunhofer ISE laboratory building, Minister President Winfried Kretschmann said: “In Baden-Württemberg, we have set ourselves numerous goals for climate policy, and solar energy plays a central role.

With Fraunhofer ISE, we have had one of the most important solar research institutes worldwide right here in the State of Baden-Württemberg for over 40 years. I am therefore very pleased that we are again able to give cutting-edge photovoltaic research a powerful boost with the Center for High Efficiency Solar Cells, which I have the pleasure of inaugurating today, moving us towards becoming the number one climate-friendly state of the future.”

With an infrastructure composed of 1000 square meters of laboratory space and state-of-the-art clean room equipment, the Center for High Efficiency Solar Cells is equipped to address the new technological challenges.

In addition to the further development of silicon and III-V technology, the research focus at Fraunhofer ISE’s new center lies in the suitable combination of these two materials to make highly efficient tandem cells, which are among the most promising photovoltaic technologies for the future.

“The new laboratory building will enable us to continue developing new groundbreaking solar cell types and thus contribute to the competitiveness of the German and European photovoltaic industry, which is again on the rise with innovative processes and technologies,” says Institute Director Prof. Andreas Bett. “At the same time, this inauguration is an important milestone for German and European technological sovereignty.

We are very grateful to the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the State of Baden-Württemberg for their support.”

Along with wind energy, photovoltaics is the central pillar of the energy transition. In recent decades, photovoltaics has undergone rapid technological development, experiencing a cost reduction of more than 90% and an increase in module efficiency, reaching 20% today. However, the potential of this technology is far from exhausted.

Solar researchers in Freiburg are working to further increase the efficiency using the tandem approach. In tandem solar cells, several semiconductor materials with different absorption properties are stacked on top of each other in order to use the solar spectrum even more efficiently for energy generation.

Tandem photovoltaics enables higher energy yield per unit area and thus potential savings in solar cell and module materials. This makes photovoltaics even more sustainable.

Fraunhofer ISE is the largest solar research institute in Europe, with more than 1200 employees, almost half of whom perform research in photovoltaics. The other half of the institute is dedicated to research themes involving energy systems and technologies relevant to the energy transition.

The institute holds numerous efficiency records in photovoltaics for different solar cell technologies: Most recently these include the recently published record efficiency for both-sides contacted silicon solar cells (26.0 %) and that for tandem cells on silicon (35.9 %). Also, records were achieved for a four-junction solar cell under concentrated sunlight (46 %, based on a III-V multi-junction cell architecture). “In addition to the efficiency records, we at Fraunhofer ISE are particularly proud of our developments in PV production technology.

These research developments have provided important impulses to industrial solar cell production, such as the use of lasers or the TOPCon technology,” says Prof. Stefan Glunz, Division Director of Photovoltaic Research and Professor in Faculty of Engineering at the University of Freiburg. “With our new laboratory building, the new clean room and its cutting-edge infrastructure, we are now even better equipped to continue this success story.”

Meyer Burger secures sustainable supply chain for production of highly efficient “clean” solar modules

• Before the start of the production, Meyer Burger concludes contracts with several wafer suppliers as planned
• All suppliers confirm sustainable production of solar wafers made of polysilicon “Made in Europe”

Meyer Burger Technology Ltd concludes contracts with several suppliers for the supply of sustainably produced wafers, thus securing its new production of high-efficiency solar cells and modules. This will start in the second quarter of this year and will comprise an annual nominal capacity of 400 MW each. The wafers are sawn from ultra-pure silicon and are the basic material from which Meyer Burger manufactures its solar cells. All suppliers assure that the wafers are made of polysilicon, which comes from the European manufacturer Wacker.

This silicon allows Meyer Burger to meet the demands of the French market, for example, and to supply modules with a certified carbon footprint. “By disclosing the supply chain, we underline our high standards for the sustainability of our products,” said Gunter Erfurt, CEO of Meyer Burger. “We not only want to produce the best solar modules, but also the cleanest.” The requirements for the raw material and the solar wafers include high environmental and social production standards as well as high quality requirements. “Our new patent-protected technology allows the use of particularly thin wafers, which can only be produced with high-quality polysilicon.”

Meyer Burger will present its new high-efficiency solar modules in an online premiere on April 27, 2021. By building its own solar production, Meyer Burger is bringing key steps of the solar supply chain back to Europe. “Our goal is to source as many components of our product as possible in Europe,” said Gunter Erfurt. Meyer Burger plans to build an annual production capacity of 5 GW each of solar cells and modules by 2026.

Polysilicon quotations continued to rise this week, with low price resources gradually diminished. With most mainstream polysilicon businesses signing the long-term orders for April earlier this month, there was no mass amount of spots available for transactions this week, and mainstream market quotations had been slightly upward adjusted, followed by a gradually diminishing level of low price resources and a marginal increase in the basic price. Sporadic orders were concluded at roughly RMB 135/kg, and the average price of multi polysilicon remained at the same level as last week at RMB 74/kg. The continuous ascension in the domestic prices of mono and multi polysilicon has prompted the global average price of polysilicon to US$16.416/kg.

An observation on the production, operation, and shipment status of the polysilicon sector indicates that two businesses in Xinjiang among 10 domestic polysilicon businesses have begun implementing equipment overhaul and maintenance, which has derived a certain degree of impact for the overall domestic output, where the domestic production and import volume is expected to remain constant to last month. Judging by the current development, a differentiation has been seen from the actual supply status of domestic polysilicon businesses during the first half of 2021 primarily owing to the impact from the flourishing downstream demand. Businesses have maintained on a high level of operating rate since the first quarter, where partial production bases in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia are also climbing in production capacity, and on the other hand, a number of businesses are lowering on the load of production in stages due to the policy control, equipment maintenance, and the respective planning in production schedules, which resulted in an actual output level that is lower than the expectation. The increase in the volume of polysilicon is expected to occur in the second half of the year, though the demand for the capacity expansion of the downstream wafer sector that will be much larger than that of what the polysilicon market will offer, together with the stocking mentality of businesses, are going to contribute to the continuous excess demand status of polysilicon, and the overall polysilicon prices may remain on the rising trend.

Wafers

Wafer quotations were fully adjusted this week, and leading wafer businesses had readjusted the quotations for April this week at a rise of roughly 8% after the continuous increase in polysilicon quotations over the past two weeks. The rise of polysilicon prices has actuated an overall elevation in the prices of mono and multi-Si wafers, where the average prices of G1 and M6 mono-Si wafers are now sitting at RMB 3.75/pc and RMB 3.85/pc, whereas M10 wafer remains sturdy at RMB 4.54/pc as businesses of main shipment have yet to disclose the new list prices, and G12 wafer has been upward adjusted to RMB 6.33/pc in quotation under a comparatively minor degree of inflation. Pertaining to multi-Si wafers, the domestic and overseas average prices have been upward adjusted to RMB 1.72/pc and US$0.233/pc respectively thanks to the marginal recovery in demand generated by the end sector.

As observed from the status of the wafer market, the primary reason for the sizeable inflation in mono-Si wafers this time lies on the elevation of polysilicon prices, which significantly increased the production cost for wafer businesses, who are now forced to transfer the cost through adjustments on wafer prices, and the robust demand of the cell market on wafers has also triggered a relatively constrained status in wafer products that stabilizes the overall high level of mono-Si wafers. However, partial downstream businesses are adhering to a wait-and-see attitude after the inflation from the market this week, and the overall transaction volume of wafers was comparatively smaller.

Cells

Cell quotations remained stable on the weaker end this week, and partial businesses may reduce on the operating rate, especially with how the cost of cell businesses have elevated subsequent to the continuous inflation of wafers this week, where a number of mainstream businesses are releasing signals regarding a rise in cell prices, which resulted in the downstream sector commenting on a cautious procurement or upholding a wait-and-see attitude. Cell businesses have converted on the sizes of cells alongside the progressive decline in the demand for mono-Si G1 cells from the end sector, and the demand for the overall capacity of G1 that is currently on the lower end is mainly focused on overseas orders. The downstream sector has decelerated on the stocking of M6 cells after inflation due to the overall higher production volume, and the relevant inventory continues to accumulate. G1 and M6 mono-Si cells are currently sitting at RMB 0.89/pc and RMB 0.85/pc respectively in average price, whereas M10 and G12 large-sized cells are now RMB 0.9/pc and RMB 0.91/pc respectively in average price amidst the stabilized large-sized market.

The supply of the multi-Si cell market is relatively tight under the restricted supply of the relevant capacity and the improved overseas demand, where the domestic and overseas prices are maintained at RMB 0.63/pc and US$0.085/pc as first-tier businesses remain robust in quotations.

The upward adjusted quotations for the cell market owing to the ascending cost are not accepted by downstream clients, which explains the apparent pressure from accumulated inventory this week, and the reduction in operating rate for partial businesses. Most cell businesses are currently operating on cash cost, and are no longer able to sustain the inflation of wafers. A further reduction in the operating rate of the cell market may occur in the near future.

Modules

Module quotations were predominantly stable this week, where the quotations for partial SME makers had fallen back marginally. Module costs are now given a breathing room benefitting from the drastic reduction in glass quotations, and a number of SME makers are more flexible in the maneuvering of quotations, with different figures seen each day, whereas mainstream module makers are adhering to sturdy quotations. The average prices of the 325-335W/395-405W and the 355-365/425-435W mono-Si modules are currently sitting at RMB 1.59/W and RMB 1.65/W respectively. Several cell businesses are attempting to follow up on the considerable increment in the upstream wafer quotations last week, though the module sector is expressing unwillingness.

The end market is not too lenient on the elevated module prices during the first quarter. With a relatively tight schedule of establishment between the second and third quarter, as well as the gradual release of demand for projects that are comparatively superior in profitability, and the decelerated dynamics in inventory pull for the overseas market due to the rise in module cost, the end demand from the domestic market has not lived up to the expectation during the second quarter. The overall transaction status of the market is slightly sluggish under the steadily increasing level of inventory in the module market, where module makers are unable to sustain high costs, and the utilization rate for module makers will remain lethargic within the short term, which may decelerate the production expansion for partial makers.

Glass prices are overall stabilized this week, where 3.2mm and 2.0mm glasses are now sitting at RMB 27-30/㎡ and roughly RMB 20-22/㎡. Module makers have successively commented on the inability of sustaining the high cost of auxiliary materials in the face of depleted demand from the end sector, and glass prices have weakened in April, while partial photovoltaic glass suppliers that are weaker in bargaining power are willing to forfeit on a small degree of profit.

Source : Energytrend

Polysilicon price
This week, polysilicon prices rose again as supply remained short. Large orders between major manufacturers were signed at RMB 135-140/kg; sporadic ones were even signed at RMB 140-145/kg.

In anticipation of severer polysilicon shortage in the second half of the year, the upward trend is expected to continue, and prices will increase marginally in the second half of this month. As polysilicon prices continue rising after reaching the peak amid mild end user demand, manufacturers in the mid and downstream segments are anxious about the polysilicon prices following the recovery of the market in Q3.

Prices in overseas markets is forecast to rise in the recent term with trading prices fluctuating rapidly. Presently, trading prices in the overseas markets are still higher than that in the Chinese market, sitting at USD 18-18.8/kg and continuing to rise. This week, negotiations for multi-grade polysilicon orders are still ongoing; prices did not see evident increase.

Wafer price
In April, production of some mono-Si wafer manufacturers have fallen behind expectations, due to the difficulties in acquiring sufficient polysilicon. As mono-Si wafer supply failed to meet cell makers’ procuring amount, prices remained on the rise. This month, Zhonghuan released pricings as followed: RMB 3.81/piece for G1 (158.75mm) mono-Si wafer with a thickness of 175um, RMB 3.98/piece for M6 (166 mm), and RMB 6.33/piece for G12 (210mm). A small portion of M10 (182mm) transactions have started reflecting the price hikes. On April 15, Longi released pricings as follows: G1 and M6 wafers with 170um thickness are priced at RMB 3.9/piece (USD 0.53/piece) and RMB 4.00/piece (USD 0.544/piece), respectively, up by 0.25/piece. M10 wafers increased by RMB 0.3/piece to RMB 4.86/piece (USD 0.66/piece). The comprehensive wafer price increases have sent the cell sector, which has already been struggling to sustain cash cost, into harsher predicament. After this round of price increase, cell makers will reduce utilization rates further in the face of deficit.

Multi-Si wafer prices continued to reflect the previous polysilicon price hikes, having been traded at RMB 1.85-1.95/piece this week, to which prices in the overseas markets also rose in accordance.

Cell price
Wafer manufacturers have been adjusting prices since mid-April. This week, in anticipation of a continual upward trend in wafer prices, cell makers raised pricings to RMB 0.01-0.03/W. Module and cell sectors are still in standoff. Only few module makers signed orders at higher price range, with RMB 0.87-0.88/W for M6 cells. Most vertically integrated manufacturers postponed negotiations this week, waiting for new pricings in April.

Demand for G1 cells continue to fade, resulting in growing inventory. This week, trading prices stayed where they where last week, sitting at RMB 0.88-0.92/W; high price range begun to narrow down. However, the decline of G1 cell prices has slowed, considering the continued price increase in wafer prices.

Business of large cells still rely on OEM and dual distribution model at present; trading volumes are rather weak with low direct purchase amounts. This week, cell prices fluctuated slightly in response to wafer price hikes. M10 cell prices stayed unchanged at RMB 0.88-0.9/W as last week; G12 were traded at RMB 0.88-0.91/W.

Being affected by price hikes in the upstream, average prices for cells continued to surge, coming in at RMB 3.2-3.3/piece. High price range sees lower trading volumes, with prices sitting at RMB 3.4-3.5/piece. Module manufacturers can hardly take the RMB 3.4-3.5/piece of cell cost, considering their cost affordability. Multi-Si cell prices are projected to have reach the peak for the short term; price increases will begin to slow.

Module price
The significant slump in glass prices has brought module sector RMB 0.04-0.05/W of cost reduction. In the Chinese market, a few orders see RMB 0.01-0.02/W of decrease. However, profits squeezed from the glass sector has been eroded by this round of polysilicon and wafer price hikes.

Polysilicon prices kept soaring amid the low season, overshadowing the costs of module manufacturers in the second half of the year. For now, module price quotes of the year remained stable. Modules with a power output exceeding 500W were mostly traded at RMB 1.68-1.72/W in the recent term.

With the recovering Indian demand and fewer multi-Si suppliers, the increasing polysilicon costs have been rapidly reflected in multi-Si wafer and cell prices. In the meantime, module prices also rose marginally in response to the higher costs, having been traded at RMB 1.45-1.5/W.

Source: infolink

• 2020 is the year of transformation from a supplier of production equipment to a leading

• Technology manufacturer of solar cells and solar modules

• Largest Swiss distributor of solar products adds Meyer Burger to its portfolio

• Market launch planned for 27 April, delivery starting in July

• Meyer Burger’s solar modules can be ordered from Solarmarkt and other distribution partners beginning with the market launch

For the distribution of its new high-performance solar modules in Switzerland, Meyer Burger will partner with Solarmarkt GmbH. The largest distributor of solar products in Switzerland is the first official distribution partner announced by the company.

Meyer Burger plans to launch the new modules in the market on 27 April. From this date, installers in Switzerland will be able to order Meyer Burger’s modules from Solarmarkt and offer them to their customers.

Meyer Burger will announce further distribution partners for the European target markets and the USA at the market launch. Meyer Burger plans to start shipping the first significant volumes from the factory in Freiberg (Saxony, Germany) in July.

“Solarmarkt is a strategically important and strong partner for Meyer Burger in the Swiss solar market,” said Moritz Borgmann, Managing Director of Meyer Burger (Industries) GmbH and responsible for sales and marketing.

“We see a very positive market development in Switzerland and believe that we will gain significant market shares with our product. In our discussions with Solarmarkt starting with our strategy change last year, we have seen the same confidence from the beginning – we look forward to a successful cooperation in the coming years.”

“The solar modules by the new premium brand Meyer Burger fill an obvious gap in the Swiss market and have great potential,” said Rafael Stadelmann, Managing Director of Solarmarkt. “The products, which stand for ‘high performance engineered in Switzerland,’ are a perfect fit for us.”

Meyer Burger produces solar cells and modules and the necessary equipment in its own factories in Germany, using a combination of heterojunction and SmartWire technology.

Over the past twelve years, the company has brought this from the laboratory to mass production maturity. The next-generation solar modules have an approximately 20 percent higher energy yield on the same surface area than current standard modules, meet the highest aesthetic standards and are manufactured under strict sustainability standards.

Borosil Renewables is in a unique position not only for being the sole domestic manufacturer of solar panel glasses but also its business is protected from an anti-dumping duty on its only competition–imports and thus not having any price setting power.

Borosil Renewables, the sole domestic manufacturer of solar panel glass, is doubling its capacity to 900 tonnes per day with an investment of Rs 500 crore, a top company official has said.

The city-based company, a part of the Borosil Group that is the market leader in laboratory glasses and other consumer glasses, currently has a 450-tonne per day solar panel glass capacity at its Baruch plant, which is enough to power 2.5 GW of solar power plants.

With the brownfield expansion at the Barauch plant in Gujarat, the capacity will jump to 900 tonnes per day or 5 GW of installable capacity of solar power plants.

The new plant, at an investment of Rs 500 crore, should be up and running by July 2022, and this is the second doubling of its capacity in the past five years, Shreevar Kheruka, the managing director of Borosil Group, told PTI.

Kheruka, who last month was enlisted into the World Economic Forum’s young global leaders list for 2021, said the solar panel glass business was loss making for long and it was only in the recent months it has turned around.

Borosil Renewables is in a unique position not only for being the sole domestic manufacturer of solar panel glasses but also its business is protected from an anti-dumping duty on its only competition–imports and thus not having any price setting power. Since the anti-dumping duty was slapped its share price has soared around 500 per cent from its 52-week low in March 2020.

Kheruka said, for the company, was earlier known as Gujarat Borosil, this is the second doubling of capacity addition in five years after the Rs 235 crore expansion in 2016.

He is hopeful of the company more than doubling the topline in the just concluded FY21 at Rs 500 crore, from Rs 240 crore in FY20, along with a fatter bottomline, which he did not quantify. For the parent Borosil, he expects a flat topline of Rs 600 crore given the loss of business in the first half.

Borosil manufactures around 600 consumer and laboratory glass products at its Jaipur, Nashik, Pune and Tarapur plants.

In the solar panel glass business, which is globally controlled by China with around 90 per cent market share, Borosil meets 40 per cent of the domestic demand of 650 tonnes glasses per day, while the rest is imported from China and Malaysia.

Kheruka said the company exports almost 20 per cent of its present solar panel glass capacity to Europe, with primary focus being Germany, Spain, Portugal Russia and Turkey, and also the US.

The Borosil Group, founded in 1962 in collaboration with Corning Glass of the US, comprises two publicly listed entities–Borosil Ltd and Borosil Renewables Ltd, is into laboratory glass products and solar panel glass and is a dominant player in both segments. In 1988, Corning sold back its shares to the current promoters.

Source: PTI

Polysilicon

Polysilicon quotations continued to rise this week owing to the actuation of sporadic orders, and partial businesses have begun negotiating for April orders. A numb sporadic orders continued to increase in prices this week thanks to the support coming from the demand, and downstream businesses have propelled the conclud prices of transactions to guarantee purchase volume, which resulted in an elevation in the overall average market price to roughly RMB 115/kg, with partial mono polysilicon now sitting at RMB 123/kg.

Multi Polysilicon has seen a rise in quotations this week on the whole, where the basic price has increased from RMB 62/kg 64/kg, with the average price now risen to RMB 69/kg, and low price resources are now nearly impossible to locate. Regarding overseas polysilicon, China had im approximately 7K tons of polysilicon in February, and the incessant shortages will impel a continuous growth in import volume and prices during March.

In addition amplified quarantine procedures under the pandemic, as well as the extended time of custom clearance, and the decelerated turnover in shipping containers, have prompted another upward adjustment in polysilicon quotations in areas outside of China, where the average price is now US$14.923/kg. Following the constant es in domestic and overseas quotations, the global average price of polysilicon has now been upward adjusted to US$14.808/kg.

An observation on the production, operation, and shipment status of the polysilicon sector indicates that the production volume from 10 domestic polysilicon busine expected to surpass 36K tons in March.

Partial businesses located in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia are affected in output owing to equipment maintenance and over the energy consumption policy, and the remaining businesses are essentially maintaining ordinary production schedules.

As the end of the month approaches, an of first-tier businesses have started to negotiate for April orders, though with no concluded transactions yet.

The downstream sector commented that the procurem pressure has been relatively substantial due to the excessively high prices, and the small number of April orders concluded previously has induced few polysilicon businesses to remain on the wait-and-see attitude towards the market.

Wafer quotations had slightly fluctuated this week, where the prices of mono and multi-Si wafers had simultaneously increased.

The inflation trend in the quotation wafers had marginally decelerated this week after the comprehensive rise in quotations from the wafer market last week, with a relatively low volume of concluded transactions since most wafer businesses have finalized on orders during the beginning of the month that resulted in no shipment to be delivered.

A minor increase thus occurred in the prices of mono-Si wafers, where the domestic and overseas average prices of G1 and M6 mono-Si wafers have been upward adjusted to RM 3.69/pc & US$0.501/pc and RMB 3.78/pc & US$0.513/pc respectively.

The market of M10 and G12 mono-Si Wafers is comparatively sturdy, where the average pr M10 and G12 wafers are now at RMB 4.54/pc and RMB 6.16/pc respectively. Quotations of the entire industry chain have experienced a certain degree of propuls the perpetually rising polysilicon quotations, especially with the increase in wafer quotations during mid-March that has buffered the cost pressure derived from the inflation of polysilicon for wafer businesses.

The multi-Si wafer market was relatively chaotic this week owing to the invigoration from the demand for mono-Si wafers, where a marginal increase has been see overall concluded prices of multi-Si wafer from partial first-tier businesses, which ascended the domestic and overseas average prices of multi-Si wafers to RMB 1 and US$0.21/pc respectively.

The slightly inferior quality and efficiency in wafers produced by SME businesses has impeded transactions after inflation, and business are still in the midst of the bargaining phase.

Cells
Cell prices remained constant to last week, where the quotations for mono and multi-Si cells are temporarily stabilized. The shipment of cell businesses has been impacted by the continuous rise in polysilicon and wafer prices, as well as the regulation on the utilization rate from module makers due to the cost of materials, an mainstream mono-Si cell businesses are continuing from the quotations last week when negotiating for April orders, though the willingness in procurement remain lethargic for the downstream sector, especially with high-efficiency and large-sized cells where the transaction volume is on a continuous declination, which result significant increase in market inventory.

G1 mono-Si cells sit firmly at RMB 0.94/W and US$0.13/W owing to the support from overseas demand, whereas the wea demand for M16 mono-Si cells has ended up in an accumulation in inventory, and a status of reduced prices for sales has occurred in the market despite the stable average prices at RMB 0.94/W and US$0.95/W.

Large-sized cell products have maintained constant in prices to that of last week, of which the average prices for MG12 cells are now at RMB 0.98/W and RMB 0.99/W respectively.

For the current mono-Si cell market, a number of integrated businesses possess a relatively suff quantity of overseas orders, with unimpeded shipment, while some cell businesses are shifting to the production of small-sized products in order to avoid repeated accumulation of inventory by minimizing the production of M6 cells.

The demand for multi-Si Cells has slightly recovered attributable to the demand for mono-Si cells, with actuation seen in prices, though the overall market quotatio gradually stabilizing due to the comparatively low volume of concluded transactions.

The domestic and overseas average prices of multi-Si cells are now maintaine steadily at RMB 0.56/W and US$0.078/W respectively.

Modules
Module quotations had predominantly remained constant this week, with a minor increase seen in the prices of 182/210 modules. Downstream system providers a successively suspending procurement after module makers attempted to increase the prices last week, which induced an inventory accumulation in partial module makers.

The average prices for the 325-335W/395-405W and the 355-365/425-435W mono-Si modules are now at RMB 1.61/W and RMB 1.68/W respectively. In large-sized modules, the minor increase in the tender prices of partial projects owing to the recently rejuvenated demand for domestic ground power stations has stimulated the quotations for the two mainstream modules of M10 and G12 to arrive at RMB 1.68-1.8/W, with an average price of RMB 1.73/W.

An observation on prices, production, and sales of the module sector indicates that the current market quotations are relatively chaotic on the whole, and are mostly acquired from se negotiations for individual orders.

Vertically integrated businesses are grasping on a sufficient quantity of orders, and are more willing in accepting the risen overse prices of modules compared to the conservative attitude seen from domestic end project suppliers.

A number of first-tier businesses are considering to lower on th operating rate in order to respond to the reduced shipment of modules after taking into account how downstream purchasers are no longer able to afford the curre
of modules.

Glass quotations had depleted rapidly this week, and the reduced procurement from the module end had resulted in an apparent impact. The prices of the 3.2mm 2.0mm glasses are sitting at RMB 37-42/㎡ and roughly RMB 30-32/㎡.

As partial first-tier module markers from the upstream sector lower on the operating rate an reduce on the procurement of auxiliary materials such as glass and EVA, the quotations for glass have once again loosened, and a declination has occurred in the quotations for single-sided and bifacial glasses.

As the end of the month approaches, the glass market has started to initiate the negotiations for April, and the pric glass are expected to be set according to the procurement demand from leading glass businesses and module makers due to the unconfirmed order status next month.

Source: energytrend

Chinese polysilicon supplier GCL-Poly announced in early March that it has made significant breakthroughs in the development of its FBR process. GCL-Poly has built a production line specifically for the manufacturing of granular polysilicon.

It has a production capacity of 10,000MT, and the quality of its granular polysilicon has been verified by clients in the downstream section of the supply chain. GCL-Poly said there are notable improvements in the key indicators of the quality standard.

In the aspect of production, the Siemens process has long been the mainstream technology, whereas the FBR process has been a contending but immature technology.

GCL-Poly said that its FBR process now matches the Siemens process in terms of the quality of the silicon dense material. Furthermore, the former actually surpasses the latter in a few indicators.

The company has done long-term R&D on auxiliary materials, including the liner material for the inner wall of the reactor. Subsequently, it is able to keep costs down while raising product quality.

In particular, the amount of contaminants has been significantly reduced. At the current stage of development, the total metal content is under 10ppbw, the carbon content is under 0.4ppma, and the hydrogen content is under 20ppma.

The hydrogen content in the output of the 10,000MT production line is nearly 30% less when compared with another 6,000MT production line that was built by GCL-Poly at an earlier time. Additionally, the fine powder rate has been lowered to under 0.1%.

In terms of yield rate, GCL-Poly said that its FBR process has reached 99% for granular polysilicon in general and 90% for the granular polysilicon that can be used to make mono-Si products. Yield rate has been a bottleneck in the development of the FBR process.

Compared with the Siemens process, the FBR process consumes less electricity. However, this advantage is canceled out by the high share of fine silicon powder in the output. This dust basically has no value.

The polysilicon granules made with GCL-Poly’s FBR process are spherical in shape and have a diameter of around 2mm.

They not only meet the material specification requirements for mono-Si products but are also more compatible with an automated feeding system (i.e., easy loading and transportation).

Furthermore, setting up a production line based on this technology requires an investment of no more than RMB 700 million, and the electricity consumption of the production line during operation does not exceed 20kWh/kg.

All in all, GCL-Poly is asserting that the granular polysilicon from its FBR process is a suitable raw material for the “smart” manufacturing of mono-Si products.

GCL-Poly now plans to further scale up production as its clients have confirmed that the amount of contaminants in the output has been lowered to an acceptable level.

The hydrogen content has been reduced substantially since the initial phase of development for the technology, and this issue will be further addressed in the setup of a new 30,000MT production line in the near future. Also, GCL-Poly has been working with its clients to improve the doping ratio and processing efficiency of its granular polysilicon.

Although there is still a lot of room for optimization in the development of the FBR process, GCL-Poly expects its technology will soon be ready for industrial applications and see greater use in the downstream part of the supply chain.

GCL-Poly acquired the assets and technology related to the FBR process from SunEdison in 2016. Hence, the company has committed a considerable amount of time and resources to advance this method of polysilicon production.

It remains to be seen whether the FBR process will fulfill its original promise of being a viable solution for manufacturing polysilicon that is both high in purity and low in cost.

Source: energytrend

Blue World Technologies, developer and manufacturer of methanol fuel cells, is acquiring Danish Power Systems, a 25-year-old HT-PEM material research company.

On 29 December 2020, the respective general assemblies at Blue World Technologies and Danish Power Systems approved a combination of the two companies, whereby Danish Power Systems is acquired by and subsequently merged into Blue World Technologies to strengthen the market position of Blue World Technologies. The transaction follows the acquisition Blue World Technologies made in August 2019, where the company initially bought 15 % of the shares in Danish Power Systems. The transaction awaits the approval of the Danish Authorities.

For more than 25 years, Danish Power Systems has been working with high-temperature PEM (HT-PEM) technology and was one of the first companies in the world to start research and development activities within this technology. Based on its outstanding MEA-technology (membrane electrode assembly) Danish Power Systems is widely recognised around the world. Since Blue World Technologies was founded in 2018 with the vision and strategy to commercialise the methanol fuel cell technology, their fuel cell platform has been built using the MEA-technology of Danish Power Systems.

“The experience and knowhow the team from Danish Power Systems is bringing into Blue World Technologies are second to none. In the 20 years, I have been working with fuel cell technology I have not seen other component suppliers capable of providing the same stability, power density, and well-proven component-lifetime as Danish Power Systems. The acquisition of Danish Power Systems is, therefore, an important and value-adding step for us to secure additional technology competences strengthening and benefitting our fuel cell production,” states Anders Korsgaard, CEO and Co-founder of Blue World Technologies.

With the strong experience and competences of Danish Power Systems’ team, Blue World Technologies is able to accelerate product development to optimise the technology platform bridging R&D activities and market needs. With an industrial approach, Blue World Technologies is differentiated from most other manufacturers of methanol fuel cells and fuel cell systems, by having all technologies and core component manufacturing within the fuel cell stack value-chain in-house, and in some cases even to system level.

“For many years, our activities have been centred around R&D. Now we are very much looking forward to being part of Blue World Technologies and contribute to the ambitious goal of commercialising the HT-PEM methanol fuel cell technology. It is taking us much closer to the market where we can really see our technology make a difference in the race towards a greener future,” says Hans Aage Hjuler, CEO of Danish Power Systems.

Blue World Technologies has initiated the commercialisation of the methanol fuel cell technology through large-scale production and is planning to start up pre-series production in mid-2021 with a production capacity of up to 5,000 units (50MW). The company is targeting to reach a full-scale commercial production capacity of up to 50,000 fuel cell units within three years. Large-scale and cost-efficient production is key for a truly commercialised breakthrough of methanol fuel cell solutions as a green alternative to industries around the world.

An important role in the Power-to-X value chain
Within the past couple of years, Power-to-X has gained global ground, both on the political scene and in many industries. In the green transition, Power-to-X technologies are going to play a significant role, especially within the sectors where direct electrification is not possible or feasible, which for example could be within heavy-duty transportation. When transforming green electricity into liquid fuel, such as methanol, it is possible to reuse the existing global infrastructure for storage and distribution while reducing fossil fuel consumption, and thereby, cutting down CO2 emissions.

Methanol and other e-fuels can be used to fuel conventional combustion engines and generators, either as a stand-alone fuel or as an additive, or they can be used to power fuel cells. On the utility side of the Power-to-X value chain, Blue World Technologies’ fuel cell technology is striving to play an important role. With high electrical efficiency of up to 45 %, Blue World Technologies’ methanol fuel cells will for many applications provide a much higher efficiency compared to combustion engines and generators. In addition, the fuel cells provide a clean and environmentally friendly operation where emissions of harmful particles such as NOx and SOx are eliminated. Furthermore, the operation can be either CO2 neutral or have a significantly reduced CO2 emission depending on the origin of the fuel, contributing to the combat against severe air pollution and climate changes.

Blue World Technologies is an ambitious and visionary developer and manufacturer of methanol fuel cell components and systems for stationary/APU applications and the automotive and heavy-duty transportation sectors around the world. The fuel cells act as a green alternative to combustion engines and diesel generators. As a part of the Power-to-X eco-system the methanol fuel cell technology contributes to solving parts of the green transition which cannot be solved by direct electrification and battery technology alone.

The exclusive fuel for Blue World Technologies’ fuel cell systems is methanol – a renewable liquid fuel that simply and cost-effectively can be stored for years and transported around the world while reusing existing infrastructure.

Blue World Technologies is founded on extensive experience from the fuel cell industry and aims towards commercialising the technology through large-scale production. The company is focused on the High-Temperature PEM-technology combined with methanol-reforming. The combination ensures a simple system design with high conversion efficiency and significant benefits including CO2 reduction, fuel cost savings, and zero harmful emissions.

In December 2020 Blue World Technologies closed its most recent investment round of 6.4 mEUR and is aiming at a future Initial Public Offering.

Source: mynewsdesk

• The state of Saxony-Anhalt and the Federal Republic of Germany are pledging up to 15 million euros in environmental protection aid for the establishment of heterojunction (HJT) solar cell production in Thalheim (city of Bitterfeld-Wolfen).
• In addition, an investment grant in the amount of 7.5 million euros has been awarded within the framework of public financial assistance for the improvement of the regional economic structure (GRW) for the assembling of the production facility in Thalheim (city of Bitterfeld-Wolfen).

The two positive grant notifications were received by Meyer Burger Technology Ltd (SIX Swiss Exchange: MBTN) at the end of 2020. The basis for the approval of the environmental protection aid is a specifically drafted expert’s opinion from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. The report confirms that Meyer Burger’s heterojunction technology (HJT) for solar cell production has significant environmental advantages compared to conventional manufacturing processes. Meyer Burger’s investments are considered exceptionally innovative and environmentally friendly, allowing for the award of the maximum grant volume of 15 million euros. “We are pleased to receive this significant environmental aid. It proves that heterojunction technology is not only more efficient but also more environmentally friendly than conventional solar cell technologies,” says CEO Gunter Erfurt.

The additionally awarded public investment grant (GRW) in the amount of 7.5 million euros for the construction of a new production facility in Bitterfeld-Wolfen may be drawn through the end of 2023.

A prerequisite for the disbursement of the grants is a confirmation of financing for the planned investments in the production site, which allows for an annual capacity of 1.4 gigawatts (GW). Meyer Burger is confident to meet this requirement. The total amount of 22.5 million euros from the two grants may still be reduced according to the state aid law of the European Union if further public financing support should be claimed. Grants of this range were expected by Meyer Burger and are included in the existing business plan.

The establishment of the HJT production lines and the sales organization are meanwhile progressing according to plan. Production will start in the second quarter of 2021 with annually 0.4 GW of solar cells and 0.4 GW of solar modules. The further processing of the solar cells into solar modules takes place in Freiberg (Saxony). The production capacity of solar cells is to be expanded to 1.4 GW in a next step and as quickly as possible, subject to successful debt financing.

Source: MeyerBurger

Source: energytrend

Meyer Burger Technology Ltd (SIX Swiss Exchange: MBTN) and Ecosolifer Ltd have agreed to draw a line under a project from 2015. The 2015 contract included the delivery of an earlier generation heterojunction cell line for the manufacturing plant in Csorna, Hungary. Ecosolifer, on its own initiative, had temporarily suspended the project and therefore the planned acceptance could not be completed in 2016. Meyer Burger had to store the equipment for a longer period of time. After the resumption of the project, the plant could be put into operation despite difficult conditions and has now been finally accepted by Ecosolifer under a settlement agreement. Meyer Burger will continue to provide services for Ecosolifer.

In accordance with the agreement, Ecosolifer will make an advance payment of CHF 0.89 million. In return, Meyer Burger will make an impairment charge of CHF 2.86 million for 2020 on the installations from 2015. As a result, this transaction will result in a net loss of CHF 1.97 million and a net cash inflow of CHF 0.89 million.

For Meyer Burger, the closing of this chapter is a further step to free itself from its past and to concentrate on the new captive business model and to enter into the solar cell and module production itself.

In the 2020s, an improvement in module efficiency and power class will drive declining investments and ultimately lower solar LCOE

The global solar industry has seen tremendous growth over the past decade as the annual demand for solar increased year on year while the cost of solar decreased significantly. In the 2020s, the cost of solar panels will continue to fall, albeit at a much slower pace. Instead, improvements in module efficiency and performance class will drive declining investments and ultimately lower solar energy costs (LCOE), new research by Wood Mackenzie has shown.

In its latest report, WoodMac examined three technologies that have the potential to improve the performance class and performance of solar modules: large wafers, n-type cells, and cell and module-level techniques.

The author of the report, Dr. Xiaojing Sun said, “We have found that PV modules made from large wafers such as the M6, M10 or G12 can reduce the investment costs of a utility-scale solar project by 3 to 9 percent. The cost savings would appeal to solar developers and installers, which will drive market adoption. “

She said a majority of the major silicon module manufacturers have announced large module products, and many of them are on track to produce large modules commercially between Q4 2020 and Q4 2021.

Wood Mackenzie’s data shows that the total module manufacturing capacity of M6, M10 and G12 wafer-based modules will reach 28 GW, 63 GW and 59 GW respectively by the end of 2021. By 2025, the production capacity of the modules used will be forecast to exceed 90 GW of M10 and G12 wafers, making them the dominant technologies in terms of production capacity.

Dr. Sun added, “It is important to note that bringing large modules to market depends on the co-development of system balance components such as inverters and trackers to accommodate the higher current and larger size.

“Several industry alliances have been formed since early 2020 to ensure that the entire solar ecosystem evolves to support large-scale module rollouts. If the industry’s efforts bear fruit, we predict that large module shipments will account for approximately 40% of total crystalline silicon module shipments in 2021. Modules with wafer sizes smaller than M6 will be withdrawn from the market by the end of 2025. “

The report also examined n-type modules such as HIT and TOPCon, which could generate more electricity per panel due to higher cell efficiencies and lower degradation rates. In contrast to large modules, n-type modules currently do not result in system investments and LCOE savings in utility-scale solar projects. The high product cost of N-type modules offsets the cost savings without systems at the system level.

She said: “Our analysis shows that TOPCon and HIT modules require a performance class premium of at least 40 W and 90 W or a price reduction of 6 percent or 20 percent in order to be competitive with Mono PERC. Granted, these are big jobs. Even so, significant efficiency improvements and production cost reductions are a must for n-modules to achieve Mono PERC as the next generation solar module of choice. “

Research suggests that the 2020s will be a decade of rapid innovation in solar module technology, resulting in a significant increase in module performance class, better performance, and more versatile applications.

Dr. Sun added, “Innovations in module technology, along with reducing hardware costs, will be the fundamental driving force behind the continued reduction in solar LCOE in the new decade.”

Source: solarinvertersindia.in

Kahl am Main: SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG (SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES ) has been awarded a contract from AZUR SPACE, Germany, for a newly developed PECVD coating system (PECVD: plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition) for the processes involved in the manufacture of gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES employs ICP technology for PECVD coating technology. ICP – inductively coupled plasma – is a method that offers high electron density in conjunction with a high degree of plasma purity. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has developed a new plasma source based on this technology. Using the SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES ICP source, the coating system applies dielectric layers to the starting material for the GaAs solar cells.

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, CEO of SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG, commented: “We are delighted that after lengthy investigations AZUR SPACE has chosen our PECVD plasma source on the strength of its performance. The PECVD coating step is a crucial quality factor for GaAs solar cells.” GaAs solar cells are noted for their especially high efficiency in excess of 30% and are used in aerospace for power generation on satellites.

AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH is the global market leader and a global player in the development and manufacture of multi-junction solar cells for space PV and terrestrial CPV applications. AZUR SPACE uses the PECVD coating system in the manufacture of GaAs solar cells for applications in space.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES – Innovations for New Technologies

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES develops and assembles innovative machines and systems for efficient and resource-saving production processes, which are used worldwide in the solar, semiconductor, medical technology as well as consumer goods and data storage sectors.

Kahl am Main: SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has received an order from one of the largest Japanese photovoltaics manufacturers, for the delivery of a production machine for high-performance heterojunction (HJT) solar cells. The signed contract includes processing equipment of the SILEX II type for the wet-chemical treatment of heterojunction solar cells.

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, Chief Executive Officer of the SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG, remarks: “Our customer already achieved a high conversion efficiency for HJT cells of more than 26 % and intends to transfer this result into mass production choosing the best available production equipment on the market provided by SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES. We are very pleased to have received this order from the leading solar manufacturer for our SILEX II wet processing machine.”

The SILEX II with various processing baths uses an optimized zone-based cleaning step, the merits of which are short process times, versatility and ease of handling, along with very attractive low usage of chemicals. This process step plays a vital part in improving solar cell efficiency and cutting production costs. Compared to traditional wet tools with RCA cleaning, the SILEX II including ozone technology enables producers of solar cells to implement a substantially more cost-efficient and environmental-friendly production step. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES sold more than 35 SILEX II systems for HJT cell production to customers in the USA, Asia including China and Europe in the last years and provides fully automated dry-in/dry-out solutions for wet-chemical treatment of silicon wafers in standard and high-efficiency cell lines.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES – Innovations for New Technologies

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES develops and assembles innovative machines and systems for efficient and resource-saving production processes, which are used worldwide in the solar, semiconductor, medical technology as well as consumer goods and data storage sectors.

Kahl am Main: SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG (SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES) today signed contracts for a large order with the customer (CNBM) Bengbu Design and Research Institute of Glass Industry Co., Ltd., Bengbu, China, a subsidiary of China National Building Materials, China, for the Xuzhou site for the delivery of systems for the production of CIGS solar modules.

The order volume for Xuzhou is in the first stage of expansion EUR 50 million.

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, Chairman of the Board of SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES: “We are pleased about this order, which in turn shows our leading role in CIGS thin-film solar technology. Our customer CNBM is therefore continuing to expand CIGS technology in China as planned and is by far the largest manufacturer of CIGS solar modules.”

The planned final output of this factory is 300 MW. This is to be achieved by the customer in a downstream, second expansion stage for this factory location.

The down payment for this order is expected in a timely manner.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES – innovations for new technologies

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES develops and assembles innovative machines and systems for efficient and resource-saving production processes, which are used worldwide in the solar, semiconductor, medical technology, consumer goods and optical disc sectors.

The company’s core competencies include various processes of coating technology, surface treatment and wet-chemical and thermal production processes.

Source: SINGULUS

TEMPE, Ariz.: Amtech Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASYS), a manufacturer of capital equipment, including thermal processing and wafer polishing, and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon power chips, electronic assemblies and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), today provided an update on the expected timing of the completion of the sale of the remainder of its solar business. Due primarily to the year-end back-log of European notaries, the closing date on the sale of Tempress is now planned for January 2020.

Mr. J.S. Whang, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Amtech, commented, “In line with our strategic plan, we are completing the final steps necessary for the solar divestiture project and are moving forward with our full attention on our power semiconductor and silicon carbide growth opportunities. The sale of R2D to key members of their management team closed on December 13, 2019, and we are pleased that the Tempress divestiture will be completed in January 2020. We are confident that with the solar divestitures, we are well positioned to realize profitable growth and enhance value for all stakeholders.”

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release is forward-looking in nature. All statements in this press release, or made by management of Amtech Systems, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Amtech”), other than statements of historical fact, are hereby identified as “forward-looking statements” (as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). The forward-looking statements in this press release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this press release. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements regarding Amtech’s future financial results, operating results, business strategies, projected costs, products under development, competitive positions, plans and objectives of Amtech and its management for future operations, efforts to improve operational efficiencies and effectiveness, our ability to realize profitable growth and enhance value for all stakeholders, the planned divestiture of our solar business, and enhancements to our technologies and expansion of our product portfolio. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “predict,” “potential,” “project,” “should,” “would,” “could”, “likely,” “future,” “target,” “forecast,” “goal,” “observe,” and “strategy” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology used in this press release or by our management, which are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. The Form 10-K that Amtech filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the year-ended September 30, 2019, listed various important factors that could affect the Company’s future operating results and financial condition and could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results and expectations based on forward-looking statements made in this document or elsewhere by Amtech or on its behalf. These factors can be found under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Form 10-K and investors should refer to them. Because it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors, any such list cannot be considered a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Source: Amtech Systems, Inc.