Recently, the latest data released by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) show that in the first half of 2019, China’s direct exports of photovoltaic modules to the United States totaled only US$11.37 million, with export performance falling short of expectations and continuing to decline.

“This is primarily due to Section 201 and, in recent years, the U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed on Chinese photovoltaic companies, which have prevented most Chinese PV‑brand modules from gaining smooth access to the U.S. market,” said Wang Bohua, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association.

In June 2019, the United States announced an exemption from the “Section 201 safeguard tariffs” imposed in February 2018 on bifacial photovoltaic modules. As a result, these products will no longer be subject to the additional 25% tariff, marking an unexpected turn in the trade war.

Industry analysts expect this measure to reverse the downward trend in China’s component exports to the U.S., and, given the strong cost‑performance advantages of bifacial modules, they are unlikely to be replaced anytime soon. Driven by the U.S. market, the share of bifacial modules is set to rise rapidly starting in the second half of 2019, while the market share of monofacial modules will decline. Within one to two years, bifacial modules are expected to become the standard configuration for photovoltaic power plants.

As one of the world’s top three photovoltaic markets, the United States has attracted the attention and investment of leading global PV module manufacturers. In terms of installed capacity, the U.S. added approximately 11.1 GW of solar power in 2018, while domestic module‑manufacturing capacity stood at only about 4 GW. For 2020, the country’s projected PV installations are expected to reach 14.8 GW, underscoring a substantial and growing demand.

BloombergNEF reports that in 2020, the United States added approximately 8.2 to 11.1 GW of new capacity from large-scale ground-mounted solar projects, with the majority of this capacity expected to utilize bifacial modules.

In terms of pricing, the average module price in the U.S. was $0.45 per watt in 2018, and in the first half of 2019, the average price for a 310‑W monocrystalline PERC module stood at $0.415 per watt. Compared with 2018, the price decline for higher‑efficiency modules with increased power output has been relatively modest. Meanwhile, the same module averaged only $0.263 per watt in Australia. The U.S.’s “high entry barrier” has made it one of the global markets with the highest average module prices.

The importance of the U.S. market is self-evident to Chinese photovoltaic module manufacturers, and following the announcement of the exemption policy, domestic companies have been eagerly gearing up, all vying to capture this key market.

According to PV‑Tech, the leading Chinese companies currently offering bifacial modules include LONGi Solar, JinkoSolar, Talesun Photovoltaic, Trina Solar, and JA Solar. Market‑wide production capacity for bifacial modules is expanding rapidly; EnergyTrend estimates that planned bifacial module capacity could reach 25.74 GW in 2019, marking a pivotal year for the growth of this technology.

Focusing on large‑size modules, Talesun 9BB bifacial transparent modules are gaining traction in the U.S. market.

Establishing manufacturing facilities in the United States and other countries has been one of the key strategies Chinese photovoltaic companies have adopted in recent years to counter U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duties. As one of the earliest leading Chinese PV firms to expand into international markets, Talesun Photovoltaic set up a plant in Thailand in 2015, relocating part of its production capacity overseas and thereby effectively circumventing both the EU’s MIP and the U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing measures.
Benefiting from years of overseas channel development, as of September 2018, Talesun Photovoltaic’s Thai plant had cumulatively shipped over 1.5 GW to Europe.

In response to the growing U.S. demand for high-efficiency products, Talesun began upgrading and retrofitting the module production line at its Thai plant in February this year. Under its upgrade plan, the first phase of the project was completed by the end of July, with the second phase scheduled to conclude by the end of September.

Following the completion of the production line upgrade, annual module capacity will reach 1.3 GW, with the line primarily manufacturing half-cell modules featuring either five busbars (5BB) or nine busbars (9BB) in a 158.75 mm cell format. In addition, the upgrade of the production line for the recently popular 166 mm large‑format modules is scheduled to be finished by the end of December this year, with an annual capacity of 200 MW.

By the end of 2019, Talesun Thai plant will have a total annual module production capacity of 1.5 GW, with plans to expand that capacity to 2 GW by the end of 2020. All of its module production lines will be fully compatible with bifacial solar modules.

A representative from Talesun Photovoltaic stated: “With the exception of a portion of its capacity dedicated to meeting France’s carbon‑footprint requirements, the remainder of Talesun Thai plant will be entirely allocated to supplying the U.S. market.”

Building on our capacity‑upgrade efforts, we will launch the BIPRO series—double‑sided, single‑glass, 9‑busbar half‑cut, semi‑transparent modules. This cutting‑edge module leverages large‑format wafers, multi‑busbar technology, and half‑cut cell design, while incorporating a transparent backsheet to fully exploit its bifacial power‑generation advantages and significantly boost module output. For a 72‑cell configuration, power can exceed 400 W, with peak outputs reaching up to 410 W—making it particularly well suited to the U.S. market, where product efficiency and quality are paramount.

According to reports, some U.S. solar‑PV project developers have already begun signing supply contracts for bifacial modules with module manufacturers for the second half of this year and 2020, and have paid deposits. In the first half of this year, Talesun Thai plant received a substantial volume of orders from the United States.