Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Ltd. announced that it has produced the first interdigitated back contact (IBC) n-type solar cells based on 6-inch wafers at an industrial pilot line within just three months by adopting the new production process co-developed by Dutch research centre ECN and equipment manufacturer Tempress. The production process is based on Yingli's commercialised PANDA rocess for the low-cost production of conventional n-type solar cells (n-PERT). The process was adapted for IBC-type cells using the screen printing technology for patterning and metallisation. The production of IBC cells in Yingli's industrial pilot line proves that the commercial production of efficient IBC cells is feasible on short term. The development and production of commercial modules is expected for 2018. Moreover, the inherent bifacial character of the IBC cells will also allow pursuing the route of truly bifacial module technology.