Tongwei has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Gold Stone (Fujian) Energy Co Ltd (GS-Solar) and Golden Solar (Quanzhou) New Energy Technology Co Ltd to develop a mass-production facility for hybrid heterojunction back-contact (HBC) solar cells.
The agreement was signed on March 18, 2026, at Golden Solar’s headquarters in Quanzhou. The partners plan to collaborate across the full value chain, including technology development, manufacturing, and process optimization. The factory’s location and planned capacity have not been disclosed, but the companies said it is intended for large-scale commercialization.
Under the agreement, Tongwei Solar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tongwei, will provide manufacturing capacity, production facilities, supply chain resources, and operational management. GS-Solar will act as the technology provider, contributing its hybrid HBC cell design, GW-scale integrated equipment, and mass-production process solutions. Golden Solar will provide patents, commissioning experience, and process support.
The companies said they will establish a coordination mechanism to optimize production processes, reduce manufacturing costs, and improve conversion efficiency as they move toward industrial deployment.
At the center of the partnership is GS-Solar’s hybrid HBC technology, which combines multiple cell concepts. The design builds on HBC architecture and integrates heterojunction passivation from HJT cells, tunneling oxide and polysilicon structures associated with TOPCon, and a grid-free front-side design typical of back-contact technologies. The approach aims to balance high efficiency with lower production costs and simplified processing.
GS-Solar reported a laboratory conversion efficiency of 27.08% for the technology in March 2023, rising to 27.62% in November 2024, according to the company.
The collaboration brings Tongwei, one of the world’s largest solar cell manufacturers, into the hybrid HBC segment and could accelerate the transition from laboratory-scale development to industrial production. It also expands Tongwei’s technology portfolio, which includes TOPCon, HJT, BC, and TBC-related approaches.
GS-Solar has previously announced similar partnerships. In September 2024, a GS-Solar-linked entity and Golden Solar (Quanzhou) partnered with Longi to upgrade four PERC production lines in Xi’an to HBC technology. In April 2025, GS-Solar and Golden Solar (Quanzhou) agreed with a subsidiary of JA Solar in Yiwu to develop a 4 GW hybrid HBC upgrade project using existing PERC capacity. The companies said the JA Solar-linked project is among the largest planned HBC mass-production projects globally.
These partnerships indicate GS-Solar is positioning itself as a technology and equipment supplier for hybrid HBC commercialization, combining intellectual property, manufacturing equipment, and process expertise.
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