Major Chinese module producer LONGi has set a new record for power conversion efficiency for silicon heterojunction back-contact (HBC) cells, of 27.3%.
Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) confirmed the record, with the cell reaching the record-breaking conversion efficiency in laboratory conditions. The new cell builds on LONGi’s research in the sector, with the company developing a silicon HBC cell with a then-record power conversion efficiency of 27.09% in January of this year, and a silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 33.9% last November.
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The company announced the new cell at an event in Madrid, where it also launched its latest product, the Hi-MO 9 series of modules. This range includes modules with power outputs as high as 660W and a conversion efficiency of 24.43%, comparable to its Hi-MO X6 range of modules, which have a conversion efficiency of 25.5-25.8%.
The Hi-MO 9 modules use LONGi’s hybrid passivated back-contact (HPBC) technology, a type of back contact cell that has no busbars on the front side of the module, and the company said that it expects the module to work best in “a range of tough environments”, such as lakes, mountains and deserts. LONGi will produce the new modules at its Jiaxing production plant, and has already completed expansion work at tis Xi’xian and Taizhou HPBC production facilities, adding 33GW of annual HPBC cell production capacity to its portfolio.
“Our new Hi-MO 9 module allows world-leading power generation and outmatches other technologies on the market in an equal land-use scenario,” said LONGi Green Energy Technology vice president Dennis She. “Power plant owners can rest assured that a plant built from the Hi-MO 9 module will help them make the most efficient use of their land and get the most value out of sunlight.”
This article has been updated to correct an error that listed the power conversion efficiency of the Hi-MO 9 series of modules at 24.42%.