Featured in A new dawn – 12-2018

TOPCon boosts demand for EU equipment

Photovoltaic manufacturers in Asia are importing deposition reactors from the EU to test the latest word in silicon solar cell passivation. Two thin buffer layers sandwiched between silicon wafers and metal contacts are increasing the efficiency of conventional solar cells and setting new records. Equipment suppliers expect the technology to spread through the industry and boost their bottom line.
The Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin used the c.DEPO LP system from German supplier centrotherm to set a new efficiency record of 26.1% for p-type monocrystalline silicon earlier in 2018. | Centrotherm

 Photovoltaics producers are bringing down electrical losses inside silicon solar cells by depositing nanoscopic layers of oxidized and polycrystalline silicon between their wafers and metal contacts. After racking up records in the laboratory, these so-called passivating contacts are finding their way into production lines. The European research centers and equipment manufacturers pioneering passivated contact technology …

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