LONGi Develops Silicon Solar Cells With 27.09% Efficiency

The world's largest integrated  solar module maker, LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., has  announced that it developed solar cells with 27.09% for the efficiency. It adds that the crystalline silicon heterojunction and back-contact (HBC) solar cells, are certified by the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) in Germany.

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The solar cells of 27.09% efficiency i.e., the HBC cell was developed by LONGi using an all-laser patterning process. It claims to develop single-crystalline silicon solar cells, breaking the 26.81% efficiency record announced in November 2022. LONGi estimates that it can mitigate the problem of high patterning cost for back-contact cells. The R&D team in LONGi has been continuing technological innovation, abandoned the costly photolithography process, and successfully developed an all-laser patterning process. The all-laser patterning process was utilized in the 27.09% efficiency record cell.

Another advantage of HBC cells over bifacial heterojunction solar cells is the reduced usage of transparent conductive oxide layers (ITO). Through continuous technological improvements, LONGi's R&D team has developed an ultra-thin TCO layer with reduced indium usage. The indium usage of the 27.09% efficiency record cell is only 1/5 of that of traditional bifacial heterojunction solar cells.

IBC or HBC cells are expected to mount a strong challenge to the TOPCon cells currently dominating global solar markets over PERC, as firms like LONGi deliver both efficiencies at scale and matching costs on the manufacture of these. Interestingly, even Professor Martin Green, considered the father of modern PV has indicated that he sees IBC made in China from firms such as LONGi as the future of solar PV. At a meet in China recently, Green acknowledged LONGi's achievement in making a world record for silicon-perovskite solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 33.9%, even as he predicted a bright future for IBC over the next 5 years.