Page 9 - SunTalk December 2020

COMPANY NEWS

INTERVIEW

What is the current situation for Suntech's multi-crystalline products?
What do you think about the future PV markets for both mono and multi products?
Suntech is still shipping multi-crystalline modules. Although the current proportion of mono is increasing, and multi-crystalline
products may comprise less than 20% this year, we believe multi-crystalline products will not vanish. As a key member of
renewable energies, one of the most important characteristics of solar PV power lies in its cost performance. And multi-crystalline
modules still have cost advantages. Furthermore, in terms of energy consumption in module production, multi-crystalline still has
a clear advantage.
Its overall market share has dropped in the past two years, as the popularity of mono products increases, mainly due to support in
the industry chain and the Chinese state's guidance. Despite this, it is undeniable that the energy consumption advantage is
conducive to environmental protection. As long as the R&D and support of multi-crystalline products can be increased on the cell
level, the conversion difference between mono and multi will be reduced. In addition, multi-crystalline products will continue to
have a market in some specific regions and environments. At Suntech, we still have multi-crystalline production capacity. While
the proportion will be reduced in the future, it will not disappear completely.

What is the current module capacity of Suntech? Do you have any expansion plans?
Presently Suntech has a module production capacity of 6 GW, and we aim to reach another 3.5 GW of new capacity at
Changzhou by the end of this month. We have new plans for next year, but they are still under wraps. These capacities are
currently compatible with 180 mm+ size silicon wafers. In the future, short boards will be added in the stringing process to
fully match 210 mm size silicon wafers. Regarding capacity, the nominal production capacity is actually the most conserva-
tive indicator. In actual production, it can be adjusted according to the order to achieve an actual production volume greater
than the nominal production capacity. Suntech's philosophy is to develop its own production capacity step-by-step.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic influenced Suntech’s operations?
In general, the pandemic has greatly impacted us. At the end of February, after the Spring Festival, Suntech had undertaken a
series of recruitment and other tasks. They were all affected by the pandemic and postponed, just like the resumption of work.
The other aspect was logistics, which were impacted on a far great scale. After the domestic outbreak was brought under control,
the overseas markets were affected. Especially in India and the EU, logistics have been greatly affected. Through the efforts of all
our employees, we still achieved sales growth in the EU; however, in some overseas markets, issues still exist.

What are you currently focusing R&D on?
We have an R&D team working on new products, including design improvement for the current trend of high-power modules. We
are also focusing on our N-type HJT modules, because of the differences in the packaging process, compared to traditional
modules. In addition, we are doing a lot of work on cast-mono modules, and have studied some other front technologies, like
overlapping. Saying that, Suntech has very high requirements for product quality, stability and reliability, so the company is
conservative in its use of new technologies. We will not promote products on a large scale for immature technologies.

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