Solar photovoltaic industry

Wuxi’s new energy industry achieved output value of 74.2 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) in 2015, a year-on-year increase of 8.5 percent. The gross value of the region’s photovoltaic industry reached 46.79 billion yuan, rising by 6.8 percent. Production also experienced stable growth. The 16 heavily monitored photovoltaic enterprises headquartered in Wuxi produced a combined 1.31 billion pieces of silicon wafer, a year-on-year growth of 19 percent, as well as 3.2 gigawatts of batteries and 4.3 gW of components, year-on-year increases of 19.2 and 12.6 percent. Profitability also rose, with combined sales revenue seeing a 13.5 percent gain, while the average gross profit rate reached 15 percent, turning losses into gains. Spreading into international markets, photovoltaic enterprises are experiencing significant global expansion. The cumulative export value of Wuxi Suntech Power reached $370 million, a 48.8 percent growth, while Hareon Solar Technology constructed 1-billion-watt photovoltaic power stations in seven countries. Continued technical advancement was also apparent with key enterprises making significant contributions to tech development. Suntech, Sunshine and Hareon developed or utilized PERC solar cell technology, MWT (microwave technology) and black silicon technology to bring the energy conversion efficiency average above 18.5 percent.