Chinese manufacturer JinkoSolar has launched the Tiger Neo 5.0, an all-black residential solar module built on its proprietary TOPCon-based Amorphous-Si Passivating Cell (TAC) technology.
The all-black 48-cell module delivers a maximum power output of 510W with a conversion efficiency of 25.52%. It was designed for what the company describes as “premium homes and other architecturally refined residences”.
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The module has a uniform black appearance designed to blend well with dark-coloured roofs, and approximately 30W more power than conventional back-contact (BC) modules. It offers a power temperature coefficient of -0.24% per degree Celsius for improved energy yield in high-temperature environments.
JinkoSolar says its TAC technology combines a TOPCon tunnel oxide layer to deliver “highly selective tunnelling transport of electrons” with an amorphous-silicon heterojunction (HJT) to achieve chemical passivation. According to a JinkoSolar whitepaper on the technology, released 17 October 2026 at the company’s Global Tech Day event in Shanghai, this combination allows for a maximum potential conversion efficiency of above 28%
“[The Tiger Neo 5.0] pushes the boundaries of both performance and aesthetics with innovations in cell technology, passivation processes, structural design, module format and interconnections,” said Charlie Cao, CEO of JinkoSolar.
TOPCon ‘lawfare’ looms in US solar
Innovation in TOPCon technology, in particular, is to be expected; according to JinkoSolar, the industry is approaching the 28.7% theoretical efficiency limit of TOPCon. However, JinkoSolar has been the subject of a lawsuit pertaining to the technology in the US; in February 2025, First Solar accused JinkoSolar of infringing on a TOPCon patent it had obtained in 2013.
Earlier this month, First Solar filed a lawsuit in Delaware against several JA Holdings subsidiaries over the same issue, as patent disputes have become increasingly common in the US solar industry.
Speaking in 2024, First Solar CEO Mark Widmar said it was increasing investment in TOPCon to help “develop the next generation of PV technologies.”
