China revises PV industry standards

Companies encouraged to focus on innovation, quality, production costs

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced revisions to photovoltaic manufacturing industry standards, addressing current challenges like businesses' repetitive expansion of low-level production capacity and falling profitability, to promote the PV industry's healthier development.

Revisions include raising the minimum proportion of investment that must be funded by shareholders' own capital to 30 percent. Previously, the 2021 regulations for the photovoltaic manufacturing industry set a minimum ratio of 30 percent for new and expanded polysilicon projects, and 20 percent for other new and expanded photovoltaic projects.

The MIIT has also raised the efficiency standards for new monocrystalline silicon PV cells and modules, which were 23 percent and 20 percent in the 2021 regulations, respectively. The revised standards specify 23.7 percent and 21.8 percent for P-type cells and modules, as well as 26 percent and 23.1 percent for N-type cells and modules. P-type and N-type are the two major silicon cells and modules at present. Major types of PV cells and modules have evolved from polysilicon to monocrystalline silicon, and to the current P-type and N-type.