By Joseph C. Johnson

The CEA Technology and Quality team recently attended the PV Power Generation and Smart Energy Expo and Conference at SNEC to assess the state of the latest PV technology circulation around the industry. While the conference was lacking the larger international audience (and therefore buzz) from previous years due to continued COVID-19 travel restrictions, the solar industry still came out en masse to show off the latest and greatest in new technology, i.e. really big modules and record-breaking cell-efficiencies.

Higher Cell Efficiencies, TOPCon Leads n-Type, and Novel 4-Cut Cell Design Emerges

There weren’t as many surprises as the previous year’s SNEC when large-format modules first shook the solar industry, but by now most suppliers have settled on either the 210 mm or 182 mm wafer sizes (or both), and we saw significantly more suppliers unveiling 500+ W modules.

The real highlights of the show were the (in some cases) record-breaking cell efficiency levels, TOPCon taking the lead amongst n-type modules, and some new cell designs for 210 mm wafers.

Increasing Module Power and Efficiency

Suppliers at SNEC exhibited nearly 40 new module variants with 210 mm (21 suppliers) and 182 mm (17 suppliers) modules each accounting for roughly half of the show. Most of the 210 mm modules were over 600 W, while new 182 mm modules capped out at a maximum power of 625 W. Trina sported the highest-powered module on display at the show at 710 W.

While almost all 210 mm modules demoed have increased the product power beyond the 600 W level, the average power class for the displayed 182 mm modules was around 565 W. Jinko Solar displayed the highest 182 mm power class with their Tiger Pro n-type at 625 W with a conversion efficiency of up to 22.86%.

With respect to module weight, 210 mm new products are generally between 34 kg and 39 kg, while the average weight of all 182 mm products is 28.7 kg, with the lightest module weighing in at 24 kg.

TOPCon as the Popular Choice as Cell Efficiencies Continue to Rise

Several manufacturers unveiled new n-type modules using the larger wafer sizes, which helped push module power beyond 700 W.

Amongst the n-type modules debuted at SNEC this year, a large majority were TOPCon modules. This is due to the ease of upgrading existing PERC lines to TOPCon and the lower CAPEX required compared to HJT. N-type products with module efficiencies as high as 22.87% (HJT) were displayed at the event, which is +1% above the highest PERC module efficiencies.

Both LONGi and Jinko Solar exhibited 182 mm TOPCon modules after announcing cell efficiency records just before SNEC.

On June 1, LONGi claimed to have reached n-TOPCon cell efficiency of 25.21%. On May 31, Jinko Solar announced a 25.25% cell efficiency record. Jolywood had a 700+ W TOPCon 210mm module on the SNEC display floor during an unveiling ceremony.

Risen Energy, Tongwei, Canadian Solar, Jinergy, Huasheng New Energy (Maxeon‘s partner), Haitai, JA Solar and Trina all had HJT products at their SNEC booths.

Novel 4-Cut Cell Design On Display for 210mm wafers

For modules using the 210 mm wafer, a new 4-cut cell design has emerged, with suppliers like Trina Solar and Suntech adopting this design. The intention behind this design is to optimize the module’s electrical parameters.

Polysilicon Price Speculation Continues

Besides examining the latest technologies on display, one of the most anticipated focuses of SNEC was the anticipation that China’s central government would announce polysilicon price controls. Despite many in the industry expecting this announcement to take place after weeks of volatile pricing, no news was revealed during SNEC, and prices continue to fluctuate.

A contributor to the price speculation was another explosion at a polysilicon manufacturer. On June 8, a silica reactor at Hoshine’s 200,000-ton organic silicone plant exploded in Xinjiang, China. This follows last year’s explosions, fires, and flooding at GCL, Daqo, and Tongwei, respectively.

While Hoshine is also a producer of metallurgical silicon and supplies most major polysilicon producers in the immediate area, most notably Daqo, no impact on polysilicon production is expected. Hoshine’s metallurgical silicon production is unaffected by the explosion.

Suppliers continue to speculate about polysilicon pricing, with some downstream factory utilization rates dropping to 40% to 50% based on price rumors at SNEC.

Cell Efficiency Novelty and Prowess on Full Display at SNEC

With most suppliers settled on their preferred wafer sizes and upgrading production facilities to meet these new technology demands, the eternal push for cell efficiency supremacy continues. Major cell producers are targeting mass production efficiencies of 25% to 26% for n-type products.

TOPCon seems to be leading the charge for the time being, while new cell cutting techniques are finding success for others. The key takeaway is that suppliers and researchers will continue finding more and more unique and creative ways to gain further cell efficiencies.

Overall, SNEC didn’t offer too much in the ‘shock and awe’ category but did impress with record-high efficiency levels. As the industry craves even higher percentages, it will be interesting to see what limits suppliers can reach.

An in-depth analysis of each of the key suppliers at SNEC, product offerings, and detailed technology and pricing breakdowns are available to subscribers of CEA’s Supplier Market Intelligence Program (SMIP). To request additional information about the SMIP, become a subscriber, or purchase our latest technology and supplier reports, reach out to us at info@cea3.com.

Joseph C. Johnson is a Technology and Quality Senior Analyst for Clean Energy Associates (CEA).