On June 3rd, the 19th Shanghai SNEC Photovoltaic Industry Conference officially opened, with TCL Zhonghuan showcasing its full-chain BC and TOPCon new products. The C2 module successfully obtained special certifications in the two high-growth sectors of desert and offshore wind and solar. TCL Zhonghuan released its new generation C3BC technology platform, with flagship BC module power exceeding 710W and laboratory efficiency of the batteries reaching 27.5%. The carbon footprint of the modules has decreased by 10% compared to conventional industry products, continuously solidifying the "wafer + patent" dual-native barrier.

Rapid Growth of BC Head Enterprises Expected to Achieve Profitability

Looking ahead to the photovoltaic industry in 2026, the entire industry chain is still in a phase of overcapacity and price pressure, with demand gradually being released and proactive clearing on the supply side still requiring time. Technological iteration and efficiency improvement are also the main ways to accelerate supply-side reform, leading to rapid growth in the BC product market.

According to statistics from third-party institutions, the global new installed capacity of photovoltaics in 2025 is expected to reach 647GW, a year-on-year increase of 11%; while the shipment volume of BC modules is expected to grow at an annual rate of 80%-85% from 2025 to 2027, and 30%-50% from 2027 to 2030, with global BC expected to exceed 300GW by 2030, and market share expected to reach 40%.

Due to technological barriers and capital expenditure, there are very few BC manufacturers, with only Longi, Aiko, and TCL Zhonghuan successively announcing BC transformation plans. Some investors have indicated that, based on current costs and prices, BC modules are expected to achieve profitability in the second half of the year.

Core Patents and Capacity Integration: TCL Zhonghuan's Late-Mover Advantage

In February 2026, TCL Zhonghuan's subsidiary Maxeon signed a 5-year BC patent licensing agreement with Aiko, with Aiko paying 1.65 billion yuan for non-U.S. BC patents. This is also an unprecedented patent licensing amount in the photovoltaic industry, attracting widespread attention from both inside and outside the industry during the explosive growth of BC. According to the announcement, Maxeon holds over 1,600 independent native patents covering the entire BC chain, including batteries, processes, and packaging, across many regions including the United States, Europe, and China.

In March 2026, TCL Zhonghuan announced plans to acquire a controlling stake in Yida New Energy to fill the gap in battery module capacity. This will not only address the pain point of lacking battery capacity but also enable rapid shipment of modules to break into the global top ten, accelerating the implementation of the entire industry chain's collaborative logic. More importantly, the announcement mentioned leveraging existing BC patents and the target company's BC process and capacity advantages to expedite the commercial mass production of BC products.

After more than two years of bottoming out, signs of supply-side clearing in the photovoltaic industry are beginning to emerge, and capacity integration is expected to accelerate, presenting significant opportunities for technological iteration. Whether TCL Zhonghuan can leverage its patent advantages and effectively integrate Yida's capacity to achieve a late-mover advantage will be key to its future