Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company", "we" or "Canadian Solar") (Nasdaq: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar companies, announced the official launch of its new solar modules incorporating the Company's ELPS (efficient, long-term photovoltaic solution) high-efficiency solar photovoltaic ("PV") cell technology at the 2011 EU PVSEC in Hamburg. From September 5 through 8, 2011, Canadian Solar will showcase the new module and provide additional information about its exciting breakthrough technology enabling cell conversion efficiencies of up to 19.5%, in hall B6, booth A31.
"We are proud to launch our new ELPS technology solar modules for the first time at the EU PVSEC 2011. In the highly competitive and fast-moving solar industry, our advantage comes from our ability to innovate and differentiate our product offering. With these modules, we offer our customers even more value by significantly increasing conversion efficiency and power output," said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar. "In addition, we have also managed to lower the production costs per watt." At Intersolar Europe in June 2011, Canadian Solar first showcased the ELPS solar PV cells to the public, now this breakthrough technology is being integrated into the Company's module series.
Moving Electrode Contacts to the Backside IncreasesEfficiency
The new ELPS technology is based on the metal-wrap-through (MWT) architecture whereby the front side electrode is moved to the back. Moving the electrical connections to the back allows more of the front surface to become exposed to sunlight, resulting in a significant efficiency increase. At the module level, ELPS allows interconnection on one side, which reduces module series resistance and increases the fill factor, resulting in higher power output. ELPS cell technology is expected to also reduce production cost per watt through increased manufacturing output yield per hour.
The new solar modules are available both as a monocrystalline and as a polycrystalline version, achieving power output of up to 265 Watt. Shipping of modules with ELPS technology is planned to start in the fourth quarter of 2011.