Across the 25th and 26th April, LONGi joined top PV researchers from all over the world in Berlin, Germany, to discuss the industry’s latest technology trends.
Dr Hongbin Fang, Director of Product Marketing at LONGi Solar, shared his own insights on ‘Technology Leadership for the Terawatt Era’ during the latest PV CellTech conference.
Dr Fang explained that, as cumulative global PV installations reach 1,000GW this year, with future annual deployment projected to reach 1,000GW by 2030, the industry finds itself on the cusp of entering its ‘Terawatt Era’. Among key pre-requisites at this point in time are technology leadership, vertical integration, a global manufacturing capacity exceeding 100GW, strong financial performance and bankability ranking and a firm commitment to ESG. Consistent investment in R&D has resulted in LONGi being well positioned to enter this next era.
Dr Fang spoke of the continuous progress of LONGi’s PERC cell efficiency in mass production, forecast to reach 24% by the end of 2022. He also shared the company’s achievements in research into TOPCon and HJT high-end technology, with its cell efficiency world records for n-HJT, p-HJT and indium-free HJT being widely referenced by industry luminaries including Professor Martin Green of UNSW.
In terms of high-efficiency cells, conference participants shared their own research and progress vis-à-vis mass production for different kinds of cell structures with their peers. Which cell type will take over from PERC in the future? This remains a question to which there is as yet no conclusive answer and the ability to evaluate the pros and cons of each possible option in a stimulating, open forum such as PV CellTech remains invaluable to the industry at large.