Midsummer Enters 500 W Solar Module Race

• Midsummer has announced the launch of its 500 W solar module series calling it Midsummer Magnum
• It is aimed to be a cost-effective alternative for large roofs doing away with the need to install more solar panels on the roof space
• The product is based on CIGS thin-film technology
• Another new product launch from the Swedish company is PMT which, it claims, can boost average module power by up to 10%

Another solar PV company entering the 500 W solar module club – and this time from outside China – is PV company Midsummer. The Swedish company has launched a module series under the brand name Midsummer Magnum targeting the rooftop solar segment. Unlike the other 500W+ modules, the Midsummer product is not based on crystalline silicon but thin-film CIGS.

Midsummer Magnum will be a cost-effective alternative for large roofs, the company promises, with higher power and fewer solar panels on the roof surface. "The improved coverage ratio means our best power per square meter yet and the natural application will be on buildings with large roof area," said Midsummer CEO Sven Lindström. The flexible 144-cell product comes with 128.3 W/m2 power density and a module efficiency of 14.5%.

The Swedish company claims the Midsummer Magnum requires less manual work and lower cost per cell for installation, junction boxes, stringing, edge insulation and encapsulation materials.

Midsummer followed up this announcement with the news of the launch of Power Mesh Technology (PMT) that it claims boosts the power of solar cells. It consists of a dense array of wires for current collection replacing the traditional method of using ribbons. This process helps in curbing resistive loss in the panels.

"The PMT-solar panels have a larger active area and less shading, resulting in higher current. With the introduction of this technology, Midsummer can increase the average module power by up to 10%," stated the company.

In March 2020, Midsummer secured its first order from Russia's Rusnano for the former's BIPV solar panel manufacturing capacity.

Apart from Midsummer, other big names that have launched their 500 W and 500 W+ solar module offerings, have mostly Chinese origins as Trina Solar, JA Solar, JinkoSolar, Canadian Solar, LONGi Solar, among others.

TaiyangNews is bringing together industry players to discuss and explore the potential of 500 W+ solar modules in a virtual conference on July 29 & July 30, 2020. Registration is for free here.