TOPCon

Several black swans have been circling over this year’s solar PV industry: rising raw material and product prices; supply chain issues and international logistics holdups; and power shortages in China, to name but the most disruptive. How is it possible for solar companies to survive under these conditions? According to Dong Shuguang, a PV veteran and President of Talesun Solar, they must focus on solar technologies like PERC, TOPCon and HJT, and product innovations that provide customer value.

While the adoption of large-format wafers has driven a wave of capacity expansion for PERC, existing manufacturers and new entrants continue to evaluate TOPCon and HJT. An increasing number of HJT pilot lines and gigawatt-scale capacity expansion projects are appearing, as manufacturers see the advantages of fewer process steps, higher efficiency ratings, and better yield rates. The localization of equipment is also a driving factor. PV InfoLink’s Derek Zhao offers an update on the latest developments and process routes for HJT.

Manufacturing giant JinkoSolar has set another world record for n-type solar cell efficiencies with its TOPCon technology, this time pushing to 25.4%. The new world record was confirmed by JET laboratories in Japan, and surpasses JinkoSolar’s previous record of 25.25% set back in May.

The double-glass product has dimensions of 2,384 x 1,303 x 35 mm and a weight of 38 kg. It is based on the company’s n-type TOPCon 2.0 cell technology dubbed Niwa Max, which the manufacturer said reached efficiencies of up to 25.4% in the laboratory. The module’s efficiency ranges from 21.73 to 22.53%.

The $1.28 billion plan includes a 3.1 GW production capacity expansion in South Korea, where the company’s solar module capacity will reach 7.6 GW by 2025.

Energy commissioner Kadri Simson has opened the 38th European solar technology conference and exhibition with a positive message for the industry. A week of tech and innovation events have got under way at this year’s event, which is again being held online.

The Tiger Neo panel has a power conversion efficiency of up to 22.1% and a temperature coefficient is -0.30% per Celsius degree. The product is made with 182mm wafers, half-cut cells, and has a power output ranging from 590 to 620 W.

Longi’s 25.19% efficiency rating for its new p-type TOPCon solar cells, confirmed by the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin, is reportedly a world record.

At this year’s 2021 SNEC Expo, GCL System Integration, a part of the Golden Concord Group (hereinafter referred to as GCL), launched a series of new module products which echoed the horn of the returning of this old giant. The company suffered a lot on finance in past few years due to subsidy default from central government to its heavy PV plant assets. After a big sale of these PV plants since late 2018 to China state owned energy enterprises, the liabilities and financial costs was cut off greatly and, the company reloaded with no more burden and came back to the frontline again. pv magazine caught up with general manager Thomas Kun Zhang to see what’s in store for GCL going forward.

The metal wrap-through-focused module maker revealed its M series at the SNEC solar conference in Shanghai, claiming a bifacial rate of up to 70%.