Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

Jiang Haoran sat back down at his desk and opened his laptop.

Several unread emails lay in my inbox. Besides Gu Qiushi's report on the lab equipment debugging progress, Wang Qiming's first weekly report, and a new email from Lin Miaomiao.

He swiped the mouse, his gaze landing on an email sent by "Lin Miaomiao," his fingertip pausing slightly before clicking on it.

"Haoran, I've run into some trouble lately, and it's giving me a real headache. I'm not sure if I should bother you." The beginning of the message carried a hint of hesitation, but the following content immediately revealed substantial pressure.

"A batch of modules shipped from my factory to Europe had quality issues, with customers reporting a significant amount of early power degradation. Although the degradation rate did not exceed the contract's minimum limit, the customer was very dissatisfied and is already questioning the stability of our processes and our quality control capabilities."

"The technical department led an investigation for more than a week and initially determined that the problem might be with the EVA film used for encapsulation. It could be that the anti-aging properties of a certain batch of materials were not up to standard, or it could be that there was a mismatch in our lamination process parameters."

"The situation is a bit tense right now. The supplier insists it's a defect in our workmanship, and the production and quality departments are passing the buck. This isn't a major incident in itself, but it's very damaging to our brand reputation. The company's top management has given a firm order to resolve it within a specified time."

"To be honest, I'm a bit desperate and just trying anything. Last time I listened to you talk about the supply chain, you mentioned that the quality of auxiliary materials is one of the key factors determining the long-term reliability of modules, which left a deep impression on me. So I wanted to ask if you have any ideas about encapsulation materials like EVA film, or the lamination encapsulation process for photovoltaic modules? Or... do you know any reliable technical experts or suppliers you could recommend?"

Jiang Haoran's eyes lit up slightly after reading it.

He understood the meaning behind Lin Miaomiao's "desperate measures": firstly, her illusions about his technical abilities, and secondly, the fact that Wanhe Solar Energy R&D Center was full of talent and that conventional technical paths had inevitably been exhausted.

Lin Miaomiao sought him out at this moment primarily because of a glimmer of hope she had gleaned from the industry insights he had displayed during their previous interactions, insights far beyond his years. But this was precisely a minor issue that could be easily resolved.

Opportunity always comes disguised as trouble.

This is a real pain point in the industry. Lin Miaomiao didn't have high hopes when she brought up this issue. All the technical staff at Wanhe Solar Energy's R&D center had no solution. It was only because of his omnipotence that she had developed a fantasy. She was just trying to see if Jiang Haoran had any ideas that could solve the practical problem.

Jiang Haoran's spirits lifted. He knew his opportunity had arrived.

He quickly recalled his memory. During this period, the early degradation of photovoltaic modules was indeed largely due to the encapsulation materials, especially the EVA film.

In 2012, the high-end EVA film market was basically dominated by foreign companies such as American S&P and Japanese Mitsui Chemicals. Domestic films were emerging, but their quality and stability varied.

Foster… that name came to mind clearly.

This company from Suzhou and Hangzhou made a key breakthrough in the field of EVA film around 2012. Its products began to rival or even surpass imported products in terms of anti-PID (potential-induced degradation) performance and weather resistance. It later quickly grew into the absolute leader in global photovoltaic film.

Jiang Haoran did not give a direct answer in his reply. He carefully chose his words, making his suggestion sound both professional and leaving room for "research and information gathering":

"Miaomiao, the problem is likely to focus on two aspects: one is the formulation of the adhesive film material itself, especially the degree of cross-linking, which directly determines its performance in resisting ultraviolet aging and damp heat aging, as well as the reliability of its interface bonding with the battery cell and backsheet/glass."

Secondly, the temperature, pressure, and time profiles of the lamination process must be highly matched with the curing characteristics of the specific adhesive film; parameter mismatch can also lead to potential defects.

I suggest we proceed in three steps:

First, immediately seal off the suspected problematic batches of adhesive film raw materials, as well as the corresponding finished components, and send them to an authoritative third-party institution as soon as possible for comprehensive material analysis and accelerated aging tests. Objective data is the external standard for clarifying responsibilities and conducting negotiations.

Second, we will simultaneously review the production records and focus on checking the historical curves of various process parameters of the lamination line on the day the problematic components were produced, to see if there are any abnormal fluctuations or non-standard adjustments.

Third, it's wise to plan ahead and investigate and introduce backup or alternative film suppliers to optimize the supply chain and diversify risks. I recently reviewed some industry-leading materials and research reports and noticed a company in Hangzhou called "Foster New Materials" that seems to have unique patented technology in anti-PID performance and has a good reputation; it could be a key company to investigate.

Of course, the final selection must undergo rigorous laboratory testing and mass production verification by your technical department.

After sending the email, Jiang Haoran closed his laptop and tapped his fingertips lightly on the desktop.

This email not only provided a solution, but also subtly demonstrated his familiarity with the details of the industry chain and his problem-solving abilities.

The seeds have been sown; now we just wait for them to take root and sprout.

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning.

Jiang Haoran opened the futures trading software on time. After months of sharp declines, the price curve of the soybean meal 1301 contract finally plunged into the 3100-point area.

This is almost exactly where that epic bull market started six months ago.

All the fervor and frenzy were like a dream, and now that the dream is over, only a mess remains.

He opened his personal account's holdings page. 25000 short positions (4000 more were added earlier near 3500 points) were quietly displayed, and the floating profit column behind them had a heart-stoppingly long number.

At this point, while there's still room for further decline, it's not substantial, and the battle between bulls and bears will be exceptionally fierce. Jiang Haoran has never been greedy for the final stretch of a rally.

"It's time to end this," he muttered to himself, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

He began to close out the positions with practiced and cautious skill.

Instead of large sell orders, the market moved like an experienced fisherman pulling in his net, placing closing orders in batches of dozens or hundreds of lots.

On the order book, prices fluctuated and tugged around 3100 points.

The trading forums were already flooded with posts about margin calls and desperate cries. The occasional shouts of "It's bottomed out!" and "Buy the dip!" disappeared instantly, like pebbles thrown into boiling water.

The entire liquidation process lasted more than three hours, requiring patience and, more importantly, absolute calmness.

When the last short order was successfully executed and the account position was reduced to zero, Jiang Haoran slowly leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the final equity figure: 18400 million.

In addition to the 30 million yuan he had previously withdrawn to invest in industrial projects such as "Kirin Technology", his total earnings from this soybean meal rally have quietly exceeded 200 million yuan.

This short-selling strategy started with 1200 million and, after two months of market battles, has yielded a return of nearly 17 times.

Behind the cold, hard numbers lie countless accurate judgments, decisive actions, and patience at crucial moments.

Almost at the same time, he dialed Chen Jingge's number.

In Jiutian Investment's Shanghai office, Chen Jinge was already waiting in front of the screen.

"Uncle, we can start gradually closing out the positions in the Jiutian Investment account." Jiang Haoran's voice came through the radio waves, calm and without a trace of emotion.

"Clear out positions in batches over the next few trading days, pay attention to the pace, and don't leave too obvious traces in the market."

"Understood!" Chen Jingge's voice suppressed excitement, but also revealed deep admiration. "We currently hold 16,000 short positions, with an average cost basis around 3900 points, and the unrealized profit so far... is approximately 120 million!"

"Haoran, this battle was fought... textbook perfect!"

"This battle is over, but a new one is just beginning," Jiang Haoran reminded. "We can allocate 50 million of the funds recovered from the liquidation. The trend of those infrastructure stocks that we previously invested in, which started to rise from the bottom, is now clear, and it's time to continue increasing our allocation."

"Okay! I'll arrange it right away!"

Three days later, all the short positions in soybean meal in Jiutian Investment's account were closed out smoothly, ultimately realizing a profit of 1.28 million yuan.

Meanwhile, the infrastructure stock portfolio, which had an initial investment of 15 million, has risen from its bottom to a market value of over 23 million, thanks to favorable policies and technological breakthroughs.

With the convergence of old and new funds, the more than 70 million yuan is like a well-rested and well-equipped new force, beginning to enter the next battleground in an orderly manner.