TOPCon is regarded as a possible follow-up technology to the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) concept. This paper presents the latest results for high-efficiency solar cells, and the progress made on migrating layer deposition to high-throughput tools, which are already in use in industry. Possible metallization approaches, and three different industrially relevant solar cell structures featuring TOPCon, are also discussed.
Welcome to the tenth anniversary edition of Photovoltaics International. Over the past decade this journal has documented the latest developments in the fast-changing of world PV technology, bringing you exclusive insights from researchers working at the industry’s cutting edge.
Over that time the pace of change has been astonishing, so much so that it scarcely seems as though one new technology is accepted before the next arrives on the scene. So seems to be the case with the passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC), which having become the technology upgrade of choice across the industry now appears to have a successor in waiting.
In this edition researchers at Fraunhofer ISE look at so-called tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology as a follow-up to PERC. Meanwhile, a team from TÜV Rheinland takes a deep dive into the vexed question of how the industry can most usefully define the benefits of bifacial technology. At the other end of the value chain, US-based 1366 Technologies gives an account of its contribution to reducing costs in wafer manufacturing, a significant ongoing expense in industrial PV cell production and thus a key focus for efforts to drive down the levelized cost of solar-generated electricity.
Elsewhere in this edition, Canadian Solar outlines some of the solutions it has developed for tackling light-induced degradation in multi-PERC cells and modules, a persistent challenge with PERC technology. In this edition our deputy editor Tom Kenning reports from the recent PV CellTech event in Malaysia, where the ‘Who’s Who’ of the PV manufacturing world gathered to debate the current state of play in solar technology.
Welcome to the latest edition of PV Tech Power. Installed solar power capacity already rivals nuclear power and could well surpass it by the end of 2018. Rapid improvements in solar cell technology, module configuration, system design and financial innovation have been a big driver. Increasingly, we are seeing this mammoth legacy fleet continue to benefit from technical improvements ranging from intelligent monitoring to using machine learning and energy storage to predict when charging a battery offers a better return than feeding the grid. We’ll explore a range of activities covering hardware and software, from module to market, that are helping asset owners maximise the value of solar.
PV Tech Power’s annual Africa-focused special report is an opportunity to gauge the fortunes of solar and other renewables in a region where they arguably offer the most. Last year we charted some of the sector’s key milestones and argued that it looked as though the pace of progress was set to gather pace. A year on, that certainly seems to have been the case.
Leading PV inverter manufacturer Huawei discusses recent technical developments to a better understanding of bifacial solar module PV power plants, using three recent case studies. These efficient PV modules need to be used with devices such as inverters to maximize value. Recently, many inverters and solutions that match bifacial modules have appeared in the industry. Which solution is the best match for bifacial modules? Based on a large amount of experimental data, this article describes the solution needed for bifacial modules.
The in-house market research team at PV Tech, this journal’s sister website, has developed a new model for forecasting trends in polysilicon consumption by the solar industry. This article analyzes how, based on this new model, the industry’s use of polysilicon will dip below 4 grams per watt by the end of this year.
To realize power generation everywhere, customers and designers are eager for PV solutions offering total design freedom for seamless integration into everyday life. This trend becomes even more important if the ‘mega city’ development is taken into account: more and more people will live in city environments in the future while classical PV technologies do not offer proper solutions for this context.
Following an extensive research process, we can now reveal the top 10 module suppliers (by shipment volumes) for the calendar year 2017. The final listing – and the underlying numbers – confirms the trends of
recent years and the continued dominance of our self-penned ‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) group.
PV manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in 2017 far exceeded the three preceding years, despite the significant slowdown in new plans in the third quarter. The year was dominated by c-Si solar cell
expansion plans and the return of CdTe and CIGS thin-film activity – the highest seen in many years. This quarterly report reviews the fourth quarter activity as well offering a full-year review and analysis of a
record year across all segments of upstream manufacturing.
We present an n-type bifacial IBC solar cell that uses a simple process comparable to our industrially proven n-type cell process for conventional H-grid front- and rear-contacted n-PERT cells. The process
is based on tube diffusion and a simultaneous single-step screen-print of the contacts to both polarities, and has been demonstrated on an industrial line at pilot scale.
