衡量一家实业公司的制造水平，最好的评价是灯塔工厂。
灯塔工厂，被誉为“世界上最先进的工厂”，由达沃斯世界经济论坛与管理咨询巨头麦肯锡合作开展遴选。目前，全球灯塔工厂共有153座，中国的62座灯塔工厂占比约40%。
浙江嘉兴这座城市有着独特历史意义，隆基绿能的灯塔工厂便坐落于此。时代周报记者来到嘉兴一期，浅灰色厂房与隆基绿能对外界展示的形象一致，“LONGi”的品牌标识在厂房随处可见。
隆基绿能嘉兴灯塔工厂大楼。时代周报记者 摄。
灯塔工厂的背后是工业4.0技术应用的实践，代表着当前全球智能制造的最高水平。
2023年12月14日，世界经济论坛发布最新一批“灯塔网络”名单，隆基绿能嘉兴基地是全球光伏行业唯一入围工厂。在中国的灯塔工厂中，新能源行业从来都不会缺席。中国新能源第一梯队的竞争力构成，智能制造是其中的关键。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
但今年以来，光伏板块在二级市场表现不佳，作为龙头的隆基绿能更是被推往浪尖。
在时代周报记者参观嘉兴工厂的前一天，隆基绿能股价5月22日大涨6.89%，成交量大幅放大，最终报收19.56元/股。这种幅度的涨幅在整个2024年也只出现过3次。虽然股价波动不代表企业的实际水平，但却隐含着资金的预期，市场对光伏龙头的预期似乎静静地回归。
已拥有光伏行业高制造水平的隆基绿能，何时才能重回巅峰？
定义光伏智能制造的新维度
5月23日，隆基绿能嘉兴基地迎来了自获评灯塔工厂后的首个开放日。
“我们去年光伏行业唯一一个也是第一个灯塔工厂的奖项就给到了隆基，我当时在场也是非常自豪，会想起大概一年多以前，刚开始做灯塔工厂策划时的一些讨论内容。”隆基绿能副总裁张海濛说。
张海濛对于灯塔工厂最初的理解是自动化和人工智能在工业生产中间的应用，甚至不清楚这与光伏行业有什么关系、对业务有什么帮助。“花了一段时间才找到一点感觉，我们确实进入到客户导向的时代。”他说。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
过去，隆基绿能的发展思路停留在“技术研发提高光伏转换效率”，核心关注点是如何通过提高技术水平去解决光伏发电的最大痛点。但对于如何通过组件去满足客户的多方面要求，反而没有及时跟上。
“转换效率每次提升都是一点点，但客户的要求变得更加多元化。”张海濛说，“客户说，你这家的转换效率比它高了0.5%，但我这边的环境比较湿热，衰减程度超过了0.5%的提升。又或者说，我这边的面积小，你要给我做一个小组件，可以在积雪积灰或平放时，不要影响发电效率。”
效率优先是基础，需求多元化的趋势肉眼可见。如同每一个制造产品的最终道路都是个性化一样，完全统一标准化的产品越来越难以在行业中立足，反而贴合各地气候环境、客户需求的个性化产品更容易得到客户青睐。这对于一家企业制造能力的要求是极高的，难度就在于如何制造客户所需要的不同产品。
智能制造、柔性生产是解决个性化生产问题的必需项。
时代周报记者在现场了解到，隆基绿能灯塔工厂对外展示了数个智能制造能力，分别是AI智能分配电池片、自动柔性化生产、全流程AI质检、端到端交付体系。工业机械臂、用于运输的机器人随处可见，制作、运输几乎都由机器人包办。
在工厂的中央智能复判室中，有专业的工人实时监控产品质量。据工厂内工作人员介绍，AI质检已可实现每18秒12个电池串的异常识别，同时精准追溯到源头，包括生产这块异常产品的每一个环节。与此同时，AI会快速生成解决方案发送给负责人，熟练工人如果能够给出不同于AI的新解决方案，也会被AI存储学习。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
智能制造不代表完全剥离人力资源的使用。
在灯塔工厂内，隆基绿能打造了一套智能人力管理系统，被称为隆基智造模式的“底座”。它将工人划分为不同的级别和工种，根据产线需要自动进行排期。新老员工和“全能型”的员工按不同颜色进行区别，保证了产线在缺员时能够快速调度人员填补需求。
据隆基绿能提供的数据，灯塔工厂建设了超过30项数字化用例，产品品质可靠性方面提升了43%，产品生产交付周期缩短了84%，基地整体的单位能耗降低了20%。同时，每个客户订单变得可视化，客户在下单后能够知道订单目前在隆基的产线中处于什么阶段。
隆基绿能订单生产周期智慧管理方案。时代周报记者 摄。
在张海濛的预想中，隆基绿能的灯塔工厂可以做成一个产品。与合作方进行合作时，将交付的工厂做成一个产品，借助自动化和模块化就能快速实现在合作目的地的安装调试和满产。“在国内，现在的基地越来越多，在国外很多地方也有这个需求。”他说。
“从传统制造到智能制造，这个过程很艰苦，打造灯塔工厂也并不是为了成为行业第一个‘吃螃蟹’的人，而是我们认为光伏行业需要灯塔，需要真正的智能制造，因此我们锻造出了隆基智造模式，用数字化赋能精益制造，重构了生产关系，保障了更高的产品质量，更高效的交付服务，更敏捷的智造能力。”他补充道。
技术路线之争：P型还是N型？ 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
“P型？N型？还是其他？”这是投资者对隆基绿能最大的疑问点。
时代周报记者注意到，作为光伏行业曾经的市值第一，隆基绿能已经在很长一段时间内频繁提及BC技术。BC技术无论是理论还是量产效率上都相对较高，但制作工艺的成本仍然高居不下。
当前，在市场上上架BC技术产品的厂商，隆基绿能和爱旭股份最为人熟知。这意味着，一旦BC技术能够顺利打开局面，能够快速吞下大量市场份额的基本就是这两家公司，而其他公司则会复刻追逐TOPCon时的盛况。
“接下来5-6年，BC类电池会是晶硅电池的绝对主流，隆基大量产品都会走向BC技术路线。”隆基绿能董事长钟宝申在2023年半年度业绩说明会上曾高调看好BC技术路线。而在去年财报《致股东的信》中不难看出，隆基绿能仍然在追求BC技术，也承认在TOPCon上的投资非常保守。
根据张海濛的描述，隆基绿能基于HPBC 2.0电池技术打造的“Hi-MO 9”组件，正在等待市场的反馈。对于明年要大规模推广的下一代BC产品，“Hi-MO 9”已经在路上，预计下半年就开始量产投放。
“我们认为，现在以BC技术作为一个平台载体，找到一个去逼近光伏技术理论转换极限的路径，隆基正在一步步往前探索。”他说。 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
BC技术的结构不是新鲜事，难点在于规模量产和有效控制成本。根据隆基绿能分布式事业群产品与解决方案中心总裁吕远的预计，BC技术是光伏转换效率里面的王者，未来3到5年大家会沿着BC的方向走，但仅以下一代产品来看，上量且降本还需要较长过程，或许要2至3年以上。
对于投资者热议的P型和N型的技术问题，吕远给出了自己的看法。“很快没有人再提N和P的问题了，光伏行业无非就是在硅片制作过程当中插的元素不同，可能要考虑多成本的问题，还有考虑给客户创造价值的问题，所以N和P不是我们重点考虑，而BC这种结构是目前重点的战略方向，接下来，我们的主力方向依然是BC。前不久我们在欧洲马德里发布了HPBC 2.0，所以它只是效率更高，对客户的收益更大。”
时代周报记者注意到，隆基绿能已不再在意P型和N型的技术界限，而是将效率作为唯一追求的因素。或许，这家光伏龙头已经清楚，单一的P型和N型永远都伴随着极限的天花板，而复合技术才是真正的未来。
更多灯塔工厂、黑灯工厂、未来工厂、智能制造等相关案例资料可扫码获取
本文由数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）转载而成，来源于时代周报；编辑/翻译：数字化转型网宁檬树。
翻译：
PN debate no longer important? The only photovoltaic lighthouse factory, Longi Green energy defines a new dimension of “intelligent manufacturing” in the industry
To measure the manufacturing level of an industrial company, the best evaluation is the lighthouse factory.
The Lighthouse Factory, described as “the most advanced factory in the world,” was selected by the World Economic Forum in Davos in collaboration with management consulting giant McKinsey. At present, there are 153 lighthouse factories in the world, and 62 lighthouse factories in China account for about 40%.
The city of Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province has a unique historical significance, where Longi Green Energy’s lighthouse factory is located. Time Weekly reporter came to Jiaxing phase I, light gray factory and LONGi Green can show the image of the outside world is consistent, “Longi” brand logo can be seen everywhere in the factory. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Longji Green Energy Jiaxing lighthouse factory building. Photo by Time Weekly.
Behind the Lighthouse factory is the practice of Industry 4.0 technology application, representing the highest level of intelligent manufacturing in the world today.
On December 14, 2023, the World Economic Forum released the latest batch of “lighthouse network” list, Longi Green Energy Jiaxing base is the only shortlisted factory in the global photovoltaic industry. In China’s lighthouse factory, the new energy industry is never absent. Intelligent manufacturing is the key to the competitiveness of China’s first echelon of new energy.
However, since the beginning of this year, the photovoltaic plate has performed poorly in the secondary market, and Longi Green energy, as the leader, has been pushed to the top of the wave.
The day before the Time Weekly reporter visited the Jiaxing factory, Longi Green Energy’s share price rose 6.89% on May 22, with a large volume and a final closing of 19.56 yuan/share. Increases of this magnitude have occurred only three times in the entire year of 2024. Although the stock price fluctuation does not represent the actual level of the enterprise, it implies the expectation of capital, and the market’s expectation of the photovoltaic leader seems to return quietly.
Longi Green Energy has a high level of manufacturing in the photovoltaic industry, when can it return to the peak?
Define a new dimension of photovoltaic smart manufacturing
On May 23, Longi Green Energy Jiaxing Base ushered in the first Open Day after being awarded the lighthouse factory.
”Our only and first lighthouse factory award in the photovoltaic industry last year was given to Longji, and I was very proud to be present at the time, and I will remember some of the discussions when I first started to do the lighthouse factory planning about a year ago.” Longi green energy vice president Zhang Haimeng said. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Zhang Haimeng’s initial understanding of the lighthouse factory was the application of automation and artificial intelligence in the middle of industrial production, and it was not even clear what this had to do with the photovoltaic industry and how it would help the business. “It took a while to get a little bit of a sense that we were really moving into the era of customer orientation.” ‘he said.
In the past, Longi Green Energy’s development ideas stayed in “technology research and development to improve photovoltaic conversion efficiency”, and the core focus was how to solve the biggest pain points of photovoltaic power generation by improving the technical level. But how to meet the various requirements of customers through components, but not in time to keep up.
”Conversion efficiency is improving a little bit at a time, but customer requirements are becoming more diverse.” Zhang Haimeng said, “The customer said that your conversion efficiency is 0.5% higher than it, but my environment is relatively hot and humid, and the attenuation degree exceeds the 0.5% improvement.” Or, if my area is small, you should make a small component for me, which will not affect the power generation efficiency when the snow accumulates dust or lies flat.”
Efficiency priority is the foundation, and the trend of demand diversification can be seen by the naked eye. As the final road of every manufacturing product is personalized, completely unified and standardized products are more and more difficult to establish a foothold in the industry, but personalized products that fit the climate environment and customer needs are easier to get customers’ favor. This is an extremely high requirement for an enterprise’s manufacturing capacity, and the difficulty lies in how to manufacture different products that customers need.
Intelligent manufacturing and flexible production are necessary to solve the problem of personalized production. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
The Times Weekly reporter learned at the scene that Longi Green Energy Lighthouse Factory demonstrated several intelligent manufacturing capabilities, namely AI intelligent distribution battery cells, automatic flexible production, whole-process AI quality inspection, and end-to-end delivery system. Industrial robot arms and robots for transportation can be seen everywhere, and production and transportation are almost arranged by robots.
In the factory’s central intelligent review room, professional workers monitor product quality in real time. According to the staff in the factory, AI quality inspection has been able to achieve abnormal identification of 12 battery strings every 18 seconds, while accurately tracing back to the source, including every link in the production of this abnormal product. At the same time, AI will quickly generate solutions and send them to the person in charge, and skilled workers will also be stored and learned by AI if they can give new solutions different from AI.
Intelligent manufacturing does not represent a complete stripping of the use of human resources.
In the lighthouse factory, Longi Green Energy has created a set of intelligent manpower management system, known as the “base” of Longi intelligent manufacturing model. It divides workers into different levels and jobs and automatically schedules them according to production line needs. New and old employees and “versatile” employees are distinguished by different colors, ensuring that the production line can quickly dispatch personnel to fill needs when there is a shortage of staff.
According to data provided by Longi Green Energy, the lighthouse factory has built more than 30 digital use cases, improved product quality and reliability by 43%, shortened product production and delivery cycle by 84%, and reduced the overall unit energy consumption of the base by 20%. At the same time, each customer order is visualized, and the customer can know what stage the order is currently in Longi’s production line after placing the order. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
Longji green energy order production cycle intelligent management program. Photo by Time Weekly.
In Zhang Haimeng’s expectation, Longji Green Energy’s lighthouse factory can be made into a product. When working with partners, the delivered factory can be made into a product, and with the help of automation and modularity, installation, commissioning and full production can be quickly achieved at the destination of cooperation. “At home, there are now more and more bases, and there is demand in many places abroad.” ‘he said.
”From traditional manufacturing to intelligent manufacturing, the process is very difficult, to build a lighthouse factory is not to become the industry’s first ‘eat crabs’ people, but we think the photovoltaic industry needs a lighthouse, the need for real intelligent manufacturing, so we forged a Longji intelligent manufacturing model, with digital enabling lean manufacturing, reconstruction of production relations, to ensure higher product quality,” More efficient service delivery, more agile intelligence.” “He added.
The Battle for technological Routes: P or N?
”Type P? Type N? Or something else?” This is the biggest question investors have about Longi Green energy. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
The Times Weekly reporter noted that as the first market value of the photovoltaic industry, Longi Green Energy has frequently mentioned BC technology for a long time. BC technology is relatively high in both theory and mass production efficiency, but the cost of the production process is still high.
At present, the manufacturers of BC technology products on the market, Longi Green Energy and Aixu shares are the most well-known. This means that once BC technology can successfully open the situation, it is basically these two companies that can quickly swallow a large amount of market share, and other companies will repeat the pursuit of TOPCon.
”In the next 5-6 years, BC batteries will be the absolute mainstream of crystalline silicon batteries, and a large number of Longi products will go to the BC technology route.” Zhong Baoshen, chairman of Longi Green Energy, was highly optimistic about BC technology route at the semi-annual performance presentation meeting in 2023. In last year’s financial report “Letter to shareholders”, it is not difficult to see that Longi Green Energy is still pursuing BC technology, and it also admits that its investment in TOPCon is very conservative.
According to Zhang Haimeng’s description, Longi Green Energy’s “Hi-MO 9” component based on HPBC 2.0 battery technology is waiting for feedback from the market. For the next generation of BC products to be widely promoted next year, “Hi-MO 9” is already on the way, and mass production is expected to begin in the second half of the year. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
”We believe that now using BC technology as a platform carrier to find a path to approach the theoretical conversion limit of photovoltaic technology, Longi is exploring step by step.” ‘he said.
The structure of BC technology is not new, and the difficulty lies in scale mass production and effective cost control. According to Lv Yuan, president of Longji Green distributed business Group products and solutions Center, BC technology is the king of photovoltaic conversion efficiency, and we will go in the direction of BC in the next 3 to 5 years, but only the following generation of products, the volume and cost reduction still need a longer process, perhaps more than 2 to 3 years.
For the investors hot P type and N type of technical problems, Lv Yuan gave his own views. “Soon no one mentioned the problem of N and P, the photovoltaic industry is nothing more than the elements inserted in the silicon wafer production process, may have to consider the problem of multi-cost, and consider the problem of creating value for customers, so N and P are not our focus, and BC this structure is the current focus of the strategic direction, next, our main direction is still BC.” We recently launched HPBC 2.0 in Madrid, Europe, so it’s just more efficient and more profitable for our customers.”
The Times Weekly reporter noted that Longi Green Energy no longer cares about the technical boundaries of P type and N type, but takes efficiency as the only factor to pursue. Perhaps, this PV leader has known that the single P type and N type are always accompanied by the ceiling of the limit, and composite technology is the real future. 数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）
更多灯塔工厂、黑灯工厂、未来工厂、智能制造等相关案例资料可扫码获取
本文由数字化转型网（www.szhzxw.cn）转载而成，来源于时代周报；编辑/翻译：数字化转型网宁檬树。
