As one of the fastest growing solar module providers in the world, LDK Solar has an established track record of delivering consistently high quality solar modules to our valued customers. We take pride in providing technologically advanced and reliable solar modules and our product line is led by our passion to design and deliver energy solutions that not only keep pace with global needs, but anticipate them as well. We have three module manufacturing facilities located in Nanchang City in Jiangxi province , Suzhou City in Jiangsu province and Hefei City in Anhui province in China.

LDK Solar has reached our goal to become the most vertically integrated PV company by also providing system integration. With proven experience, know-how and passion to help our clients, LDK Solar can provide engineering and design support, ensure the quality of the products and monitor the efficiency of the system.
We can also offer financing solutions, thanks to a strategic agreement with China Development Bank that will provide up to $ 8.9 billion of credit facilities to LDK Solar over a five-year period.

Manufacturing in-house PV cells and increasing the efficiency of solar cells is one of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of PV modules. We completed our 1 GW manufacturing line and can now produce our own cells in-house. We also developed new high-efficiency monocrystalline and multicrystalline cell technology. Manufacturing our own cells in-house enables us to reduce the cost of modules and increase quality management.
A PV cell is a device made from polysilicon wafers that converts sunlight into electricity by a process known as the photovoltaic effect. The conversion efficiency of a PV cell is the ratio of electrical energy produced by the cell to the energy from sunlight that reaches the cell. The conversion efficiency of PV cells is determined to a large extent by the quality of wafers used to produce the PV cells, which in turn is determined by the quality of polysilicon used in the ingot casting process.

Key Information: Research & Development Targets
Multicrystalline Cell Efficiency: Currently 16.29%, In 5 Years 19-21%
Monocrystalline Cell Efficiency: Currently 17.28%, In 5 Years 21.23%

We are the world's largest manufacturer of solar wafers in terms of capacity, according to Solarbuzz. We have established a large-scale wafer manufacturing facility with an annual manufacturing capacity of approximately 3.0GW as of December 31st, 2010. Our leading position has enabled us to form strong strategic relationships with our customers, including some key cell and module players in the industry. Such strategic relationships have helped us gain feedback to improve our manufacturing process and our technology and enter into new long-term contracts. Leveraging our scale and market position, we are able to procure advanced production equipment on favorable terms.
A thin slice of crystalline silicon is used as the key component in a solar wafer. We have developed processing technologies to reduce our production costs at each step of the production process, which include recycling more polysilicon, producing bigger ingots, increasing wafer size, reducing wafer thickness, recovering slurry and increasing production yield.

At LDK Solar, we produce larger monocrystalline and multicrystalline ingots. This innovation enables us to increase our yield of ingots and improve the utilization rates of our facilities thus reducing costs by reaching large scale economies. For example, LDK Solar produces 800-kg multicrystalline ingots which increase throughput production efficiencies by reducing manufacturing bottlenecks.
An ingot is a semiconductor material (e.g. Silicon) that is melted and cast into a shape suitable for further processing. We use our high-purity polysilicon as well as purchased and recycled polysilicon to manufacture our ingots. We test and categorize recycled silicon raw materials based on their technical properties. These recycled silicon raw materials then undergo mechanical grinding and chemical cleaning before they are mixed using our proprietary formula. Our ability to mix the materials in the right proportion is critical to the production of high-quality silicon ingots.

As a part of its vertical integration strategy, in 2008 LDK Solar constructed a polysilicon plant with two production facilities, near its wafer production facilities. With a total yearly production capacity of 12000 MT, this is the largest single polysilicon manufacturing plant site in the world. The installation of a closed loop polysilicon production process allows LDK Solar to produce and use on site many of the key chemicals and gases required to make silicon, while also recycling residual STC.

LDK Photovoltaic Technology Research Institute (R&D center) was founded in February 2007 with a lot of senior specialists in PV industry and a lively R&D team working for it. Till now R&D center is equipped with about more than 100 professional R&D technicians, including more than 10 foreign experts and doctors.
The technology center is focus on researching of new technology and process, organizing R&D team to do technical research for resolving technology problems occurred in manufacture and improve process. Since the R&D center is founded, more than 100 R&D projects were undertaken, some of them were funding supported by State, provincial or municipal government. In December 2007, the Science and Technology Bureau of Jiangxi Province has approved the proposal of constructing a provincial Engineering Research Center for Photovoltaic Technology; in October 2009, the Science and Technology Ministry of China has approved the proposal of constructing a National Engineering Research Center for Photovoltaic Technology.
The technology center positively cooperate with leading domestic and foreign researches, do the scientific research with manpower and equipment resources of province, domestic and foreign universities, research institutes. The company has built strong relationship with universities and institutes by means of building Co-Lab or project cooperation, for example, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Nanchang University.

Strategy
The R&D center will pursue technological innovation trough R&D in all aspects of silicon materials, wafer and solar cells production according to the actual production of our company. Especially research on the key factors of solar cells in different periods to produce high-efficiency solar cells by adapting advanced equipments and materials. Ultimately, the status of LDK in the high-quality photovoltaic product industry can be consolidated.
As for meeting the requirement of increasing the level of vertical integration for the company, the R&D center will focus on resolving the technological problems and bottleneck in the integration process, furthermore, expand production capacity of LDK. The R&D center will continually make efforts on cost reducing and production efficiency improving, thereby，we can assure the cost of LDK have more advantages than other competitors.
The R&D center will promote the environmental protection and cycling economy, pay more attention to the source control, and take effective measurements in every aspect of the production, consequently construct LDK to be an environment protected company.