Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

Jiang Haoran did not sit down immediately, but turned around and walked to the magazine rack not far away. His fingers ran along the spines of the books, and finally accurately pulled out a copy of "Solar Energy" - an authoritative monthly magazine sponsored by the China Renewable Energy Society.

At the same time, he took out an ordinary brown paper file folder from his bag and placed it seemingly casually on the corner of the table.

This is an industry analysis summary he extracted last night after staying up until midnight, combining his past life memories with publicly available information, industry annual reports, and technical papers found online. The title is "Analysis of Photovoltaic Cost Reduction Path and Key Nodes (2012-2015)".

He picked up the abstract, seemingly to check some data, and his arm inadvertently brushed against the spine of the thick journal "Solar Energy" on the table.

The journal slipped, sweeping several loose documents lying beside it down with it. A few pages swirled in the air before gently floating to Lin Miaomiao's feet.

The document contains key data and charts in both Chinese and English, with neat handwriting and sharp viewpoints.

"Sorry," he said softly, bending down to pick it up.

Startled by the small commotion, Lin Miaomiao looked up from her book and instinctively picked up the other page that had drifted away. Just as she handed it back, her gaze fell on the contents of the page.

"...The dominance of polycrystalline silicon will be completely overturned by monocrystalline silicon in 2014. The core argument is based on the following cross-validation data: the average efficiency of mass-produced P-type monocrystalline cells has reached 19.5%, and the calculation model of 'cost per kilowatt-hour' for downstream large power plant developers has clearly shifted from initial investment orientation to full-cycle power generation revenue orientation."

"Based on this model, when the premium for monocrystalline modules falls below 5% (expected to occur between the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014), a structural reversal will occur in the market...."

She paused slightly, looked up at Jiang Haoran, and a hint of surprise and inquiry flashed in her eyes.

"Thank you." Jiang Haoran took the paper, his voice calm, and met her gaze.

"You... also study photovoltaics?" Lin Miaomiao's voice was soft, with the clarity unique to students, but her tone already contained a caution beyond her years.

"I guess so. I'm working on a related project with the Nanjing University lab," Jiang Haoran replied naturally and simply, his gaze sweeping over the journal in front of her.

"Are you looking at an early PERC paper? Hoffmann's model actually overestimated the mass production stability of back-side passivation."

The surprise in Lin Miaomiao's eyes deepened.

This paper from the end of 2011 was quite cutting-edge. The other party not only recognized it at a glance, but also accurately pointed out the two core parameters that are directly related to mass production yield: "interface state density" and "process fluctuation".

"Nanjing University? Which group specifically? Academician Chen's group, or Professor Li's group?" she asked, clearly aware of the intricacies of the academic world.

"I'm doing some basic research with Professor Li, and the project happens to involve backside passivation." Jiang Haoran replied smoothly. This was not a fabrication; Professor Li's research group was indeed one of the leading institutions in the field in China at that time.

He deliberately steered the conversation away from himself and towards the problem itself: "The crux of the matter isn't the model itself, but the minority carrier lifetime data it relies on. Currently, the bulk material quality of P-type silicon wafers may not be sufficient to support the theoretical window for efficiency improvements."

"How did you know?" She closed the magazine, turning slightly towards him, clearly intrigued.

"Just a guess." Jiang Haoran smiled and pointed to the derivation marks of a formula in her notebook. "Judging from the direction of your formula derivation, are you trying to optimize the deposition uniformity model of the back passivation layer?"

"This line of thinking is correct, but it may overlook a more fundamental issue—the minority carrier lifetime bottleneck of existing P-type silicon wafers. PERC's requirements for silicon wafer quality will be an order of magnitude higher than currently recognized in the market."

These words directly point out one of the core pain points in the current transition of PERC technology from the laboratory to mass production, and it is also a consensus that the industry will gradually reach in the next two or three years.

Lin Miaomiao was stunned. Because of her father, she had been exposed to the front line of the industry earlier than ordinary students and knew the importance of this issue.

"So you think that PERC's future lies not in the process itself, but in the upstream silicon wafers?" Her tone became serious.

"To be more precise, it is the synergistic evolution of silicon wafer quality and cutting technology."

Jiang Haoran then pushed the summary in his hand a few copies over, pointing to one of the charts, "This is my projection of the correlation between silicon wafer thickness, cutting loss and battery efficiency over the next three years."

You see, when the silicon wafer thickness is reduced from 180 micrometers to 160 micrometers, even if the absolute value of the cell efficiency only increases by 0.2%, the cost per watt can decrease by more than 5% due to the significant reduction in silicon material usage.

Lin Miaomiao took the summary and quickly began to browse through it. The more carefully she looked at it, the more focused her expression became, even revealing a hint of seriousness.

This abstract is rich in data, has a clear logical chain, and demonstrates a grasp of technical details far beyond that of ordinary academic reviews. It is more like a forward-looking report from a senior industry analyst.

Some of her predictions about policy impacts (such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties), equipment iteration cycles, and bottlenecks in the auxiliary material supply chain vaguely coincided with, or were even bolder and more specific than, some of the internal discussions she had recently heard at her father's company.

"These analyses... are very insightful." She looked up and re-examined Jiang Haoran. The young man in front of her looked to be about her age, dressed simply, but with calm eyes and a rare confidence in his understanding of the industry's technological development.

"There don't seem to be many people in China working in this field. Are you focusing on materials or device fabrication?" Her follow-up questions were more detailed, revealing her familiarity with the academic ecosystem.

"It's mainly about the reliability of devices and processes, which is closely related to industry." Jiang Haoran kept the topic within the academic framework, speaking in the down-to-earth tone often seen in doctoral students discussing their research. "So when looking at problems, I habitually trace them back to the mass production stage."

He changed the subject slightly, his gaze sweeping over the Wanhe Solar report in her hand without lingering, "Theoretically, the efficiency improvement curve of PERC is very promising, but when many laboratory data are scaled up to the production line, they get stuck on some seemingly basic common bottlenecks."

He paused briefly, as if thinking, and said, "Take the silicon wafer stage at the very beginning as an example. If the cutting stage is not done properly, the resulting fluctuations in silicon wafer thickness and differences in the surface damage layer will be amplified in the subsequent diffusion and passivation processes."

"This may be one of the hidden reasons why some production lines have large efficiency dispersion and difficulty in improving yield."

Instead of directly mentioning "Wanhe Yunnan Base", he abstracted the issue into a general technical principle.

But the description of this principle was so specific, pointing directly to the basic and crucial process of slicing, that Lin Miaomiao immediately thought of the problem of "loss" that her father occasionally mentioned.

How could a doctoral student so directly address the pain points in production when discussing issues?

Lin Miaomiao took a slight breath. She wasn't sure about the specific data Jiang Haoran mentioned, but "high slice loss rate" was indeed one of the worries her father had mentioned in his recent phone calls.

How could an outsider so accurately pinpoint the potential pain points of one's own factory?

"You seem... to know a lot about Wanhe Light Energy?" Her tone was cautious.

"I wouldn't say I have any understanding of it; it's just inference based on publicly available information and the general state of technology in the industry."

Wanhe is a long-established large manufacturer with a large production capacity, but it also carries a heavy historical burden. In a period of rapid technological iteration, the transformation of certain aspects is actually more difficult.” Jiang Haoran’s answer was watertight, demonstrating both insight and without appearing overly prying.

The dialogue has now gone beyond ordinary "academic exchange".

Lin Miaomiao clearly realized that this peer in front of her seemed to have an almost intuitive insight into the industry's trends.

This experience and ability, which is beyond her years, aroused her strong curiosity and desire to explore, even as she remained cautious.

At midday, sunlight streamed through the high windows of the reading room, casting slanted beams of light onto the floor, where tiny dust particles floated and sank.

In this tranquil space built of knowledge, a subtle aura based on intellectual recognition and professional resonance quietly surrounded the two. Regardless of their identities or backgrounds, it was simply the clash and attraction of their intellectual brilliance.

After a moment's hesitation, she pulled out a notepad from her notebook, wrote down a string of numbers neatly, and handed it to Jiang Haoran.

"Hello, my name is Lin Miaomiao." She then extended her hand and looked at him calmly.