With the rapid development of the global manufacturing industry, technological transformation has become crucial for enhancing its competitiveness and sustainable development. To promote the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Notice on Piloting Cities for New Manufacturing Technology Transformation" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice") in the first half of 2024. This notice aims to accelerate the transformation of enterprises towards high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing through policy guidance and financial support, promote the coordinated digital upgrade of industrial chains and supply chains, and build a modern industrial system. Based on the evaluation results, 20 cities (districts) were selected for the pilot program. Among them, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, was selected.
The Notice explicitly supports cities in organizing demonstration projects through a combined "point, line, and surface" approach. These include digital and intelligent transformation demonstrations at the "point level," digital collaborative transformation of industrial chains and supply chains at the "line level," and digital green transformation demonstrations of industrial clusters and science and technology industrial parks at the "surface level," accelerating the promotion and application of digital and intelligent technologies, green technologies, and innovative products.
According to the Notice, "applicants should select approximately three leading industries within the manufacturing sector as key areas for technological transformation, and during the implementation period, the cumulative proportion of enterprises above designated size undergoing digital technology transformation should reach over 80%. Selected industries should align with the national regional strategic development plan and industrial orientation, reflect the region's industrial foundation and unique advantages, and possess characteristics such as large output value and high industrial concentration."
Xi'an boasts outstanding technological innovation capabilities and a strong manufacturing base, particularly in emerging manufacturing sectors such as solar photovoltaics, aerospace, and rare metals, where it possesses advanced technologies and a relatively complete industrial chain. On July 17, 2024, the General Office of the Xi'an Municipal People's Government issued the "Notice on the Implementation Plan for New Technological Transformation in the Manufacturing Industry and Urban Pilot Programs." Regarding the solar photovoltaic industry, the notice states:
西安市人民政府办公厅关于印发《制造业新型技术改造及城市试点实施方案》的通知
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(1) Promote the transformation of photovoltaic enterprises and strengthen the organization, implementation and follow-up services of key projects for the transformation of new technologies in photovoltaic enterprises. Actively guide key enterprises in the industry to create a number of typical scenarios and demonstration cases such as equipment management, process control, smart logistics, and green supply chain, and promote the transformation and upgrading of core advantage areas such as batteries, photovoltaic glass, and photovoltaic modules.
(2) In terms of high-end development, through the innovation of high-precision equipment and technical routes, develop and produce high-end photovoltaic cell products with characteristics such as large current, high efficiency, and low cost, optimize attenuation conditions, and improve photoelectric conversion efficiency.
(3) In terms of intelligence, support enterprises to achieve lean production management and improve production and operation efficiency through the construction of industrial control networks and integrated networks, deployment of intelligent hardware and software, application of robots and digital management.
(4) In terms of greening, support enterprises to create green products throughout their life cycle, recycle recycled materials from photovoltaic products, build green factories, enhance the clean production capacity of enterprises, rationally use non-renewable resources, and reduce emissions and pollution.
Recently, according to the provisions of the "Notice on Carrying out Pilot Work on New Technological Transformation of Manufacturing Cities" issued by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the "Implementation Plan for New Technological Transformation of Manufacturing and Urban Pilot Projects" of Xi'an City, after the procedures of enterprise application, review and recommendation by local industry and information technology and finance departments, and expert review, the Zhongmao Cadmium Telluride Thin Film Photovoltaic Module R&D and Manufacturing Project was selected as a pilot project in Xi'an, a national new manufacturing pilot city in 2024.
The Zoom Solar CdTe Thin-Film Photovoltaic Module R&D and Manufacturing Project, invested and constructed by Zoom Solar Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., is located in the Yuanbei area of Qinhan New Town, Xixian New District, Xi'an. The project covers an area of approximately 160 mu (approximately 2.07 acres) and has a total investment of 2.016 billion yuan. The first phase, with an investment of 889 million yuan, covers an area of approximately 80 mu (approximately 2.06 acres) and a total construction area of 116,000 square meters. The project will primarily construct a 300MW fully automated CdTe thin-film photovoltaic module production and manufacturing workshop, a thin-film photovoltaic prefabricated building component production and manufacturing workshop, as well as research offices and supporting centers. This project will create Northwest China's first "zero-carbon" industrial manufacturing base. Once operational, the project will significantly promote the development of the regional integrated building photovoltaic industry, filling a gap in the development and application of high-efficiency CdTe solar cell technology in western my country.
Through this selection, the Zoom Solar Cadmium Telluride Thin Film Photovoltaic Module R&D and Manufacturing Project will give full play to the policy guidance and driving role, continuously enhance independent innovation capabilities, accelerate the key core technology research in the field of thin-film solar photovoltaic cells represented by cadmium telluride, realize the transformation from "manufacturing" to "intelligence", cultivate new quality productivity, and build momentum for the high-quality development of Xi'an's photovoltaic industry.