Merrimack, N.H.-based GT Solar [1] said today it received a $56 million order for silicon ingot furnaces from Baoding, China's Yingli Green Energy [2] (NYSE: YGE [3]).

GT Solar said this is Yingli's fourth and largest order for its furnaces that grow multicrystalline ingots up to 450 kilograms.

"Their purchase of our new DSS 450 furnace will provide up to 80 percent more capacity per cycle and within the same footprint of our prior generation furnace," said Tom Zarrella, president and CEO of GT Solar.

The new furnaces are expected to triple Yingli's installed capacity in 2009.

LianSheng Miao, president of Yingli Green Energy, said, "We have worked with GT Solar since 2002, and have built an important part of our business around their equipment."

"The contract will support us to ramp up our ingot capacity from current 200 MW to 400 MW by the end of 2008 and 600 MW in 2009."

Yingli designs, manufactures and sells photovoltaic modules and systems. The company sells photovoltaic modules to system integrators and distributors in markets around the world, including Germany, Spain, Italy, China and the United States.

GT Solar is a provider of photovoltaic manufacturing equipment and turnkey manufacturing solutions.