Major PV product manufacturer LONGi Solar announced on April 29 that it has again set a new record for the conversion efficiency of PV cells. This is based on the test results provided by the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin, Germany (ISFH). The product that LONGi Solar sent to ISFH was a bifacial N-type mono-Si TOPCon cell made from a wafer in the commercial size. According to the test result, the TOPCon cell has a conversion efficiency rate of 25.09%. It is the first of its kind to surpass the 25% threshold.
Based in China, LONGi Solar has been committed to doing its own R&D and already established itself as a major provider of high-efficiency solutions in the solar sector. The company has stated that it intends to remain as the leading driver of technological advances. An example of LONGi Solar’s R&D capability is its bifacial mono-Si PERC cell, which attained a conversion efficiency rate of 24.06% in January 2019 and has maintained that high level of performance since then.
LONGi Solar has also stated that it is ahead of its competitors in raising the conversion efficiency rates of cells and modules because it is able to effectively turn its vast reserve of expertise into commercial products. The new world record for TOPCon cells proves that LONGi Solar is not only confident about its technologies but also committed to developing solutions that spur the worldwide transition to renewable energy.
Commenting on the achievement, Li Hua, VP of LONGI Solar and head of the company’s cell R&D center, said that the company constantly improves itself and aims to promote high-efficiency products within the sector. Li also pointed out that increasing cell efficiency has always been the primary means for generating overall progress in solar PV.
As for the future strategy, Li said that LONGi Solar will keep focusing on the development and mass production of the most advanced products. The company is determined to be at the forefront of technological development and lead the changes within the industry. Li added that by injecting innovations, the company will also support the Chinese government in meeting its dual targets of capping the growth of CO2 emissions within this decade and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.
LONGi Solar’s cumulative investments in R&D from 2012 to 2020 came to around RMB 8 billion. During the same period, the company obtained 1,001 patents. New technologies and optimization techniques have been deployed to retain the competitive edge.
TOPCon cell was first developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany in 2013. It offers higher conversion efficiency and an advantage in capital investment because the process for manufacturing this kind of cell can be incorporated into existing production lines.
Image: ISFH.