There was an efficiency war going on in PV EXPO in Tokyo this year. Many manufacturers were able to show 300W 60-cell solar modules. While most of the manufacturers improved efficiency through Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC), Ever Energy chose to walk a different path. It unveiled non-PERC P-type mono cell with higher C/P ratio, putting emphasis on lower cost and same power output. EnergyTrend had the privilege to interview Ever Energy prior to SNEC to have an in-depth discussion on the technology.
Ever Energy puts many efforts in improving each production process to provide competitive products to customers. For example, a US$0.04 increase in cost can lead to efficiency improvement of 0.6%-1% for PERC cells. Ever Energy knows that purchasing new equipments is a way to boost conversion efficiency, but it also believes that modifying the existing technology is another way. Thus, Ever Energy came up with non-PERC cell, focusing on mono-si cell with 20% efficiency which does not require PERC technology and can reach up to above 280W in terms of power output.
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The Chinese description on the photo is translated as 6" mono-si PV cells
Source: Ever Energy
It’s not just that non-PERC cell has its advantages in terms of conversion efficiency and cost, there are still light-induced degradation (LID) issues for 3%-5% of PERC cells. Ever Energy indicated that non-PERC cell has lower LID in comparison with PERC cell. For example, non-PERC cell with 19.8% efficiency and PERC cell with 20.2% efficiency can reach the same module power output after going through LID or under the circumstance where PERC cell’s cell to module loss may be higher. In other words, module manufacturers can turn 20.2% PERC cell into 280W-285W module as well. However, because of non-PERC cell’s better C/P ratio, it may seize a portion of PERC market share in the future.
Since last year, mainstream mono-si wafer spec has transformed into M1, a 1.6% rise on power generation under the same cost. In addition, mono-si wafer prices dropped significantly since the end of last year, allowing mono-si cells to expand further this year. Ever Energy always delivers ultimate service, quality, and production with “sincerity”. Instead of just pursuing larger capacity, Ever Energy aims for better quality and customer satisfaction. Therefore, its high utilization rate remained despite weak high-efficiency market demand. Some mono-si cell orders can be seen til 3Q15, bringing confidence to the company.
The largest PV exhibition in China – 2015 SNEC will kick off this week. Ever Energy will be showing 20.0% super high-efficiency non-PERC mono-si cells in booth no. N1-112, hoping to expand the brand visibility through its exclusive technology within the mono-si cell market.