China’s Longi Green Energy has set a new world record for the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar panels, according to a certification report from Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE.
Longi’s independently developed HPBC 2.0 module has achieved a conversion efficiency of 25.4%, surpassing previous global records.
Longi said the milestone will soon be recognized by Prof. Martin Green of the University of New South Wales in the “Solar Panel Efficiency Tables” and in the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)”Efficiency of Champion modulesdatabase. This is the first time a Chinese solar company has claimed the world record for crystalline silicon module efficiency since records began in 1988.
The new efficiency of 25.4% surpasses the previous record of 24.9%, which Maxeon set in January with its interdigitated back contact (IBC) module. This half a percentage point increase represents a significant jump in an area where efficiency gains have typically been incremental. This breakthrough also pushes the efficiency of crystalline silicon modules past the 25% threshold.
Since SunPower set a record of 20.3% efficiency using IBC technology in 2007, back-contact (BC) solar cells have dominated the efficiency rankings. BC technology, known for its high efficiency and compatibility, has set eight consecutive world records in crystalline silicon module efficiency over the past 30 years.
Longi said pv magazine that while the new record is a breakthrough in R&D, the company continues to try to improve the efficiency of its mass-produced panels. Currently, Longi’s HPBC 2.0 modules for commercial shipping have now achieved an efficiency of 24.8%.
Earlier this month, Longi launched its Hi-MO X10 series modules, featuring HPBC 2.0 cells with a production cell efficiency of more than 26.6%. It has also introduced several other models, including the Hi-MO X6 and Hi-MO X6 Max, based on HPBC 1.0 cells, and the Hi-MO 9, which features HPBC 2.0 technology for utility-scale solar.
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