Canadian Solar to adopt MWT and EWT cell technology after new enhancements enter production in 4Q09

September 15, 2009
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The race to higher conversion efficiencies in volume production for both monocrystalline and multicrystalline cells continues with news that Canadian Solar plans to boost cell performance to 18.5% and 16.8%, respectively. This will be accomplished by using several advances that include improvements in screen printing techniques, better texturization and a modified selective emitter process. The company said that these successful R&D projects will be migrated to production lines in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Canadian Solar also announced that it has partnered with the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) to apply metal wrap-through (MWT) cell technology to Canadian Solar's production lines, which eliminates the need for front-side busbars, giving more surface area, further boosting conversion efficiencies.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

In further collaboration with ECN and Dutch equipment supplier Eurotron, Canadian Solar is targeting the introduction of emitter wrap-through (EWT) structures, which can further eliminate the front-surface grid to boost performance of the cell.

Module performance is also expected to be enhanced with these technologies as they enable the use of back-side interconnect in module assembly. Specialized module assembly equipment is a specialty of Eurotron.

“We are very eager to make this a successful project. We have collaborated with ECN for several years now and developed the technology to a level that it can be taken out of the research phase,” noted Bram Verschoor, Commercial Director of Eurotron. “We foresee that this project will be the launch of back-contact module technology into the PV market.

Many of the major c-Si PV producers have announced both R&D programs and technological advancements to boost conversion efficiencies in 2009. Key motivations have been the rapid module price declines and highly competitive market, which are impacting margins. The higher performing modules retain a relative premium to lower-performing and nonbranded modules.

Higher conversion efficiencies also reduce the total cost of PV installations and are another focus outside of other production cost reduction programs.

“Producing high-efficiency cells is an important part of our commitment to producing premium branded products,” commented Shawn Qu, Canadian Solar's chairman/CEO. “In addition to the brand value of these products, higher power modules can reduce manufacturing and installation costs, both of which are critical to making PV systems more cost-effective for end customers.”

Canadian Solar is also developing heterojunction intrinsic thin-layer cells and tandem junction cells that could see conversion efficiencies top 20%, however the company said that this could take several years to develop and enter production.

 

Read Next

October 31, 2025
US independent power producer (IPP) Treaty Oak Clean Energy has signed two environmental attribute purchase agreements (EAPA) with social media and data giant Meta.
October 31, 2025
US thin-film module manufacturer First Solar has unveiled plans to build a new 3.7GW manufacturing plant in the US in 2026.
October 31, 2025
Australia's solar and energy storage sectors delivered transformative performance during the third quarter of 2025, with grid-scale solar generation reaching 1,699MW average output while battery systems expanded capacity by 2,936MW since Q3 2024.
October 31, 2025
Acen Australia has committed to recycling around one million solar modules from its 400MW Stubbo solar PV power plant in New South Wales.
October 30, 2025
Scatec posted development and construction (D&C) revenues of NOK1,760 million (US$175.1 million) in the third quarter of this year.
October 30, 2025
Global net zero by 2050 is now “impossible” and the world is on course for temperature rises of 2.6°C, according to energy market analyst Wood Mackenzie.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
November 12, 2025
10am PST / 1pm EST
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany