PV module manufacturer Yingli Solar has begun bulk shipments of its zinc-aluminum-magnesium steel-frame modules for a 180 MW ecological remediation PV project in Shizuishan, Ningxia. Located in the Gobi desert and wasteland zone in northwestern China, the project will use large-format bifacial dual-glass modules with Yingli’s steel-frame solution.
Yingli said the zinc-aluminum-magnesium steel frame has a thermal expansion coefficient closer to that of PV glass than conventional aluminum frames, helping reduce interfacial stress and the risk of glass microcracks and debonding under large temperature swings. Its coating provides self-healing protection at scratches and cut edges, improving resistance to wind-blown sand and salt-spray corrosion. The steel’s high yield strength also improves resistance to wind and snow loads. The company says the frames are compatible with mainstream mounting systems and can reduce the carbon footprint associated with raw material production.
Integrated solar manufacturer Tongwei Solar plans to invest RMB 200 million to upgrade and integrate existing TOPCon cell production lines at its Meishan manufacturing base in Sichuan province. According to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) filing submitted to local authorities, the project will cover workshops S2, S3, and S4, with upgraded lines expected to achieve average conversion efficiencies of up to 27.50%.
In workshop S2, Tongwei Solar will add lithography printing, resist stripping, and cleaning processes, increasing capacity from 8.35 GW to 11.90 GW and raising average conversion efficiency from about 24.5% to 27.45%-27.50%. In S4, lithography printing will replace the existing rear laser selective-emitter process, lifting average efficiency from 25.78%-26.15% to 27.30%-27.50%. The company will cancel its plans for a 12.5 GW full-cell line in S3 and repurpose the workshop for multi-slicing, passivation, and other supporting processes for S2 and S4.
The upgrade is scheduled to be completed in January 2028. Afterward, the Meishan base’s overall designed capacity will be adjusted slightly from 52.50 GW to 52.05 GW.
Tongwei is currently listed at 7^th in the TaiyangNews TOP SOLAR MODULES listing, featuring a TOPCon module rated at 23.7% efficiency.
GD Power, a subsidiary of CHN Energy, has launched a tender for the overall implementation plan and feasibility studies for a planned 15.14 GW power base in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, supporting the Inner Mongolia-to-Anhui electricity transmission project. The complex is planned to comprise 8 GW of solar, 4.5 GW of wind, and 2.64 GW of coal-fired power, alongside 4.25 GW/8.5 GWh of electrochemical energy storage.
Electricity from the base will be transmitted to Anhui through a ±800 kV ultra-high-voltage direct-current (UHVDC) transmission project. The tender covers integrated renewable energy design; optimization of PV module and mounting-system configurations; collector-line design for large-scale wind farms; selection of energy storage technology and synchronous condenser configuration; and feasibility studies and related technical research. The planned service period runs from November 2026 to December 2030.
Longyuan Power, another CHN Energy subsidiary, recently launched a 6 GW framework tender for PV modules (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Fujian province has launched its 2026 mechanism price auction for incremental renewable energy projects, with an eligible electricity volume of 8.36 billion kWh. Wind and PV projects will compete in a unified process, with bids ranging from RMB 0.16/kWh to RMB 0.39/kWh. The resulting mechanism price will apply for 12 years. Both the lower and upper ends of the range are below those recently announced by Guangdong (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The bidding uses a 125% bid-coverage ratio, while the declared electricity volume for each project is capped at 90% of its projected grid-fed generation. Eligible projects must have entered, or be scheduled to enter, full-capacity grid-connected operation between June 1, 2025, and December 31, 2027, and must not have previously been covered by the mechanism price.
Fujian’s calculation parameters set the average annual utilization hours over the past 3 years at 1,229 hours for utility-scale PV and 1,010 hours for distributed PV.
TaiyangNews 2024

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