Talon PV CEO Adam Tesanovich and NexWafe VP Business Development USA Jonathan Pickering
Image: NextWafe
German solar wafer manufacturer NexWafe has signed a strategic partnership with Texas-based n-type solar cell manufacturer Talon PV.
Under the terms of the agreement, NexWafe will supply its EpiNex silicon wafers to support Talon’s TOPCon solar cell production in the US. The two parties expect the partnership to represent approximately 7 GW of silicon wafers through 2032.
A statement from the companies adds that they will also collaborate on technical development and qualification efforts to improve the performance of TOPCon cells using NexWafe’s EpiNex substrates. This work will focus on advanced wafer material quality, ultra-low oxygen content, and next-generation junction engineering approaches to enable higher efficiency and long-term reliability in n-type solar cells.
According to details on the website, NexWafe’s EpiNex silicon wafers are manufactured via a direct gas-to-wafer epitaxy process, which eliminates both crystal growth and wire sawing processes. The wafers are available in thicknesses from 50 μm to 150 μm and are grown directly to final thickness, which the company says dramatically improves material efficiency and reduces energy consumption.
Talon PV has announced that it will set up a pilot production line for TOPCon solar cells Fraunhofer ISE‘s Evaluation Center for Photovoltaic Technology last Septemberwhere the first EpiNex wafer qualification work will be performed. This is what a spokesperson for NexWafe said pv magazine Manufacturing of TOPCon cells using EpiNex wafers will begin this year.
Talon PV is planning one 4.8 GW TOPCon cell manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas featuring NexWafe’s EpiNex wafers. The two companies say their partnership aims to “strengthen domestic content in solar energy products, reduce dependence on imported silicon-based components and promote a resilient, Western-aligned supply chain for next-generation solar photovoltaics.”
NexWafe was one of eight European companies to do so receive investment in the latest round of the European Commission’s Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform Scale Up call. In December 2024, the company achieved an energy conversion efficiency of 24.4% for a heterojunction solar cell built with its ultra-thin wafers.
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