Renewable Energy Corporation

The Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) is a solar power company with headquarters in Singapore. REC produces silicon materials for photovoltaics (PV) applications and multicrystalline wafers, as well as solar cells and modules. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance New Solar Energy Limited.

REC Solar Holdings AS
TypePublic (Allmennaksjeselskap)
OSE: REC
IndustrySolar energy
Founded1996 (1996) in Oslo, Norway[1]
Headquarters20 Tuas South Avenue 14,
Singapore[2]
ProductsPolysilicon, wafers, solar cells, solar modules
RevenueNOK 13.78 billion (2010)[3]
NOK 1.018 billion (2010)[3]
NOK 989 million (2010)[3]
Total assetsNOK 36.87 billion (end 2010)[3]
Total equityNOK 22.15 billion (end 2010)[3]
Number of employees
4,200 (end 2010)[3]
ParentReliance New Energy Solar
Websitewww.recgroup.com

The previous parent company of REC was ChemChina, one of the largest chemical companies and state-owned by the People's Republic of China, which held its stake in Elkem since 2015 through the China National Bluestar Group.[4] The purchase price was 490 million euros.[5] On 10 October 2021, Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries announced that its subsidiary, Reliance New Solar Energy Limited, had acquired complete control of REC from China National Bluestar Group for US$771 million.[6][7][8]

History

The predecessor of today's company was established in 1996 under the name Fornybar Energi AS. Today's company is a result of a fusion in September 2000 between ScanWafer AS, SolEnergy AS and Fornybar Energi AS. In 2002 REC ScanCell started production of multicrystalline solar cells in Narvik for the sister company REC ScanModule in Glava, Arvika. REC Wafer was at the time the world's largest producer of multicrystalline wafers with factories in Glomfjord and at Herøya.

Immediately after its IPO in 2006, the share price of the company soared, reaching a peak of NOK 262 in November 2007, corresponding to a market capitalization of NOK 174 billion.[9] Based on this value, the company was at the time the largest wholly privately owned company in Norway.[10]

In 2007, REC decided to build its new world-scale integrated solar manufacturing facility in Singapore, the world’s largest integrated solar manufacturing complex. When completed, the manufacturing complex was planned to incorporate wafer, cell and module production facilities, with a production capacity of up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW).[11]

The development of this site was projected to enable REC’s ability to deliver solar products that can compete with traditional energy sources in the sunny areas of the world without government incentives.[12]

In 2008 and 2009 two new factories for multicrystalling wafers were opened at Herøya.

In August 2008 REC made the decision to build a new facility for silicon manufacturing expansion in Bécancour, Quebec, Canada. Included in the decision is a 20-year power contract with Hydro-Québec for the delivery of electricity at a competitive industrial rate.[13]

In 2010, fully automated and integrated production of wafers, cells, and panels began at the company's state-of-the-art factory in Singapore

Crisis during 2008-2009

During 2008 and 2009, the company faced a crisis with falling income and increasing debt. As of May 2010, the market capitalization is down to 18 billion NOK. The large drop in value has been partially blamed on the financial crisis,[14] which caused a near halving of the price of silicon wafers, as well as increasing costs of investments, in particular due to delays in opening a new factory in Moses Lake, Washington.[15]

Crisis during 2011 and 2012

In addition due to the continued weak market conditions and prospects of significant negative cash flow, the board of directors announced in October that REC would permanently close down the production capacity at the oldest multicrystalline wafer plants at Herøya, the multicrystalline wafer plant in Glomfjord and the solar cell plant in Narvik.[16] The remaining Norwegian plant, at Herøya, was closed down in 2012.[17] Its wafer subsidiary, REC Wafer Norway AS, is planning to file for insolvency.[18]

All of REC's solar cell and wafer production plants in Norway were shut down permanently in 2011 and 2012 due to weak market conditions and prospects of significant negative cash flow.[17]

Split

In 2013, REC announced that it would establish REC Solar as an independently listed company, and REC will continue operating in polysilicon business.[19] REC changed its name to REC Silicon in October 2013.[20] The splinter company consisted of the silicon manufacturing facilities at Moses Lake, Washington and Butte, Montana and is based in the United States. At these plants, REC Silicon produces polysilicon and silane gas for the solar industry and the electronics industry. REC Silicon produced 21,405 MT of polysilicon in 2012, and targets a production of 20,000 MT polysilicon in 2013.

Present day

In 2023, REC announced the REC@NUS Corporate R&D Laboratory for Next Generation Photovoltaics project with the National University of Singapore.[21]

Polysilicon, capacity & production
LocationCountryProductCapacity (MT)Production (MT)
20062007200820092010201120062007200820092010201120122013
Moses Lake, Washington and Butte, MontanaUSAPolysilicon--600016500170001170001555557806241702313673190502170219764

1 Estimated production/capacity

Operations

Solar

REC produce multicrystalline solar cells and solar panels.[22]

Solar cells and solar panels, capacity & production
LocationCountryTypeCapacity (MW)
2006200720082009201020112012
PorsgrunnNorwayMulticrystalline cells---250250125010 3
TuasSingaporeMulticrystalline cells-----5301650 1
GlavaSwedenMulticrystalline modules---15015010303
TuasSingaporeMulticrystalline modules-----5901800 1

1 Estimated production/capacity
2 Numbers not available
3 Plant closed down

Commercial agreements

REC has entered into a significant long-term agreement for supply of mono-crystalline silicon wafer to Suniva, Inc. Under the agreement, REC will until 2013 deliver wafers worth more than US$300 million.

REC also entered into a significant long-term agreement for supply of mono-crystalline silicon wafers to China Sunergy Co. Ltd. Under the agreement, REC were to deliver wafers worth more than US$400 million until 2015. It was structured as a take-or-pay contract with pre-determined prices and volumes for the entire contract period.[23] However, in 2009, this contract became the cause of a legal battle between REC and China Sunergy. As spot prices for wafers fell dramatically in 2009, China Sunergy found itself bound to prices well below spot, prompting a stall in purchasing, leading REC to terminate the contract.[24]

Listings

The shares are listed on the Photovoltaik Global 30 Index since the beginning of this stock index in 2009. During the past few years REC's stock price has gradually come down as a result of the demanding times in the solar industry due to overcapacity and heavy price pressure on solar products.[25]

See also

References
  1. "Norwegian solar energy company REC Group becomes part of Reliance Industries Ltd. and accelerates its expansion". REC Group. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  2. "Contact". REC. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  3. "Annual Results 2010" (PDF). Renewable Energy Corporation. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  4. Eco-Business (December 2014). "REC Solar to combine with Elkem after US$640m Chinese buyout". Eco-Business. Retrieved 17 May 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. "Rec Solar: Aktionäre nicken Verkauf an Chinesen ab". www.solarbranche.de. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  6. "Norwegian solar energy company REC Group becomes part of Reliance Industries Ltd. and accelerates its expansion". REC Group (USA). 10 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  7. "Ambani Accelerates Push Into Green Energy With Solar Deals". Bloomberg.com. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. Team, BS Web (10 October 2021). "RIL's renewable energy arm buys REC Solar Holdings in $771 mn deal". Business Standard India. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  9. "- Aldri vært på tale å gi opp". E24.no (in Norwegian). 13 April 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  10. "REC Norges største helprivate selskap". E24.no (in Norwegian). 2 February 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  11. Singapore Site of New 1.5 GW Solar Manufacturing Complex
  12. http://www.edb.gov.sg/etc/medialib/downloads/media_release_2007.Par.0075.File.tmp/New%20manufacturing%20complex%20to%20Singapore_FINAL.pdf
  13. "REC has decided to build its future silicon material production assets in Bécancour". Government Of Quebec. 25 August 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  14. "Problemer i kø for Rec". Dagens Næringsliv (in Norwegian). 22 June 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  15. http://www.lni.wa.gov/news/2010/pr100330a.asp Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
  16. "700 mister jobben i REC". E24.no (in Norwegian). 26 October 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  17. "REC Closing Norway Solar Wafer Plant on China Competition". Bloomberg. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  18. Treloar, Stephen (14 August 2012). "REC ASA to File for Insolvency of Norway Solar Wafer Unit". Renewable Energy World. Bloomberg. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  19. "REC proposes separation of REC Silicon and REC Solar". GlobeNewswire (Press release). 18 July 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  20. "Renewable Energy Corporation ASA: Name changed to REC Silicon ASA". GlobeNewswire (Press release). 24 October 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  21. Casey, J. P. (19 June 2023). "National University of Singapore and REC Solar launch US$57.4 million solar research initiative". PV Tech. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  22. "The complete review of REC solar panels for 2023". Solar Reviews. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  23. REC - Press release
  24. http://cleantech.com/news/5147/china-sunergy-seeks-rec-wafer-injun China Sunergy seeks REC Wafer injunction extension
  25. "REC sees lingering oversupply after weak Q3". Reuters. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
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