Heraeus, Yingli Green Energy sign cooperation agreement

Yingli Green Energy and Heraeus have signed a cooperation and supply agreement worth $70m for the development of photovoltaic technology and economic solar cells.

Under this one year agreement, Heraeus will develop silver metallisation pastes for Yingli Green Energy’s N-type silicon solar cells, named PANDA.

Heraeus precious metals North America Conshohocken PV global manager and vice president Andy London said, "As an industry leader, we [Heraeus] are overjoyed about our agreement with Yingli Green Energy since our primary focus is the commitment to innovation of highly-efficient, yet cost-effective products for our customers."

Yingli Green Energy vice president Jingfeng Xiong said, "Our mission is to provide affordable green energy for all, therefore, we constantly innovate to enhance the quality and cost structure of our products."

Heraeus will dedicate research and development resources in its three technology centers located in West Conshohocken, US; Hanau in Germany and Singapore to develop metallization pastes.

The Heraeus Photovoltaic Business Unit will work with Yingli Green Energy to achieve photovoltaic technology advancements and reduce the cost-per-watt of solar cells.

Yingli Green Energy is a developer and manufacture of vertically integrated photovoltaic and seller of high-quality modules.

Heraeus is a precious metals and technology group and its photovoltaic business unit develop front and back-side silver paste for crystalline solar cells and manufactures high volumes of thick film pastes.