Longi sets TOPCon cell record of 25.09%

Chinese giant Longi Solar has set a new conversion efficiency record of 25.09% for a commercial-sized tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell.

The achievement, confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin for Longi’s monocrystalline, n-type, bifacial product, marks the first time a device of such scale has breached the 25% barrier.

Longi already holds the record of 24.06% for the front side of a mono, p-type PERC cell, set in January 2019.

“It is our target to promote the continuous upgrading of the entire PV industry … with higher efficiency and more sustainability,” said Li Hua, vice president and head of solar cell R&D for Longi. “The improvement of cell conversion ratio is the main focus for the development of PV technology. Longi will continue to concentrate [on] the development of advanced technology and industrialization of these technologies, take the lead [on] new technologies, and contribute innovation power for the realization of [the] “two carbon” goals of China,” added Li, referring to the ambition of having the nation’s carbon emissions peak this decade and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Longi is the world’s biggest solar manufacturer, by market value and sales revenue, and shipped 24.5 GW of panels last year to generate revenue of RMB54.58 billion ($8.43 billion). At the turn of the year, the company boasted annual production capacities of 85 GW, 30 GW and 50 GW for its mono wafers, cells and panels, respectively.