TOPCon

BloombergNEF says the global solar industry will install 592 MW of modules this year, up 33% on 2023. The consultancy has also lowered its estimate for 2024 polysilicon production, as manufacturers are temporarily scaling back output.

The solar industry is at a crossroads. While demand for PV installations is higher than ever, systemic overcapacity, falling prices, and financial losses across the supply chain threaten to undermine the industry’s long-term sustainability.

Axitec’s 300 MW plant in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, is equipped to manufacture solar modules based on n-type TOPCon technology.

JinkoSolar has begun converting its production to n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) products to stay competitive, says Frank Niendorf, the company’s general manager for Europe. He predicts that several market players in the value chain will exit the market soon.

The Kolkata-based solar cell and module manufacturer has reported a total income of INR 111.83 crore and a net profit of INR 22.88 crore for the April-May-June quarter of FY 2024-25

Trina Solar says it has started evaluating potential violations of some of its patents for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) tech. One of the patents focuses on the number of busbars and their width in TOPCon solar panels.

The solar modules included in the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) comply with the BIS standards and meet the module efficiency criteria set by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for utility-scale, rooftop and solar pump, and solar lighting applications.

At SNEC 2024 in Shanghai, pv magazine spoke with Puzant Baliozian, lead consultant of sector group photovoltaic equipment for Germany’s Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers Association (VDMA). He says tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology will dominate the solar market in the next 10 years and expects module manufacturers will compete to develop more creative product designs. He also believes that copper metallization will gain market share in heterojunction (HJT) module production in the next years. “In the upcoming decade, we will have less than mg/W of silver being used for both TOPCon and HJT technologies,” he stated.

Chinese solar cell maker Hainan Drinda New Energy Technology plans to build a 10 GW factory in Oman to produce tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells.

The updated IEA PVPS Task 12 Fact Sheet provides a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts associated with PV systems. It highlights the significant advancements made in PV technology, emphasizing improved efficiencies and reduced environmental footprints.