In management, there is a saying that an ice cream manufacturer who can survive selling ice cream in winter can survive at any time. The cold winter is the hardest time, the most painful time, and also the time for various enterprises to adjust themselves, accumulate strength, and cultivate strong genes.

　　Although the entire photovoltaic industry is currently in a downturn, visionary companies see it as a rare opportunity, actively laying out plans and conducting technological research and development during the cold winter. The market's expectations for the photoelectric conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells continue to rise, driving related companies and research institutions to engage in research and development. One of the recent technological focuses in the photovoltaic industry is the metal backside passivation technology and equipment that many international equipment manufacturers have planned to launch in the past year. It is reported that this technology not only allows the module end to inherit the current welding technology but also has an expected efficiency increase of 0.2 to 0.5 percentage points.

　　Industry insiders say that now is a golden period for creating technology and competitive differentiation. Companies hope to use current technological innovations to prepare for effectively utilizing differentiation to outpace other competitors in the next economic turnaround.

　　One of the new technologies actively being introduced in the equipment market is the metal backside passivation layer. Solar energy operators explain that this technology mainly uses AL2O3 film as the backside passivation film for P-type solar photovoltaic cells or the front side for N-type cells. The main purpose is to ensure that the electrons and electric currents generated by sunlight in the cells can safely reach the circuit, rather than combining and blocking the circuit as with other technologies, which will enhance the conversion efficiency of the cells.

　　Industry insiders point out that if we look at the basic process of solar photovoltaic cells, simply adding a metal backside passivation layer in the laboratory can increase the cell's conversion efficiency by 0.2 to 0.5 percentage points. Solar energy operators say that the important aspect is the inheritance of the currently widely used module welding technology at the backend, which requires no changes. This is one of the reasons that attract manufacturers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and of course, Taiwanese manufacturers focused on cell processing are even more interested.

　　However, introducing this technology is expected to require an increase of 3 to 5 production stations, and the consideration of yield after mass production is also one of the key points. Therefore, the technology and equipment enhanced by equipment manufacturers, along with the research and development technologies of various solar energy companies, are crucial to success or failure. This is also one of the main reasons why solar manufacturers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait pay attention to the equipment launched by equipment manufacturers.

　　It is reported that the companies currently supplying or about to supply this technology and equipment include Germany's Centrotherm, American Applied Materials, Dutch OTB, Germany's Roth & Rau, and France's Semco.

　　Solar photovoltaic cell manufacturers admit that whether it is double printing technology, selective emitter, emitter wrap through, metal wrap through, or metal backside passivation layer, the most important thing is still the core technological competitive advantage of each cell manufacturer, and there is no single right or wrong choice.

　　Moreover, the restructuring of processes to improve efficiency does not have an equivalent additive effect, meaning that 1 plus 1 is less than 2. The improvement in efficiency is a key factor in creating a differentiated competitive advantage for solar photovoltaic cell manufacturers. However, the core of organizational competitiveness is how much cost is incurred to achieve the increased efficiency (Cost Per Watt), as solar energy emphasizes cost competition, which highlights the importance of equipment manufacturers providing highly technical and cost-competitive equipment.