• Trina Solar of China has announced 24.58% conversion efficiency for its high efficiency n-type mono-crystalline silicon (c-Si) i-TOPCon solar cell
  • It achieved this efficiency for front side of the bifacial solar cell, which has been independently confirmed by Germany’s ISFH CalTec
  • Canadian Solar has also announced 22.28% efficiency for its p-type multi-crystalline P5 cell that has been certified by Fraunhofer ISE

Two solar PV products manufacturing giants from China have separately announced high efficiency records for their solar cells. Trina Solar reported a 24.58% conversion efficiency for its high efficiency n-type monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) i-TOPCon solar cell. It has been independently confirmed by Calibration and Test Center (CalTec) of Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).

Trina says it fabricated its bifacial solar cell on a large sized 244.62 cm2 wafer using a low-cost industrial process of the so-called advanced Industrial Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact abbreviated as i-TOPCon. It had front boron emitter and a rear full-area passivating contact.

The front side efficiency of the bifacial solar cell was reported to be 24.58% without using any dedicated aperture during the illumination, explained the company. “We are very delighted to announce the latest achievement from our research team at the SKL PVST, to the best of our knowledge, this is the new world record for a TOTAL AREA efficiency for a large-area two-side contact silicon solar cell” said Jifan Gao, the CEO of Trina Solar.

22.28% for Canadian Solar

Canada located Chinese company Canadian Solar has announced a ‘world record’ of 22.28% conversion efficiency for its p-type multicrystalline P5 cell which has been under development for quite a few years, the company shared.

To achieve this, the technology team of Canadian Solar fabricated the cell by using 157 mm x 157 mm P5 multicrystalline wafers and other production ready technologies such as selective emitters, silicon oxide passivation, multi-layer anti-reflection coating, aluminium oxide backside passivation, and advanced metallization.

The company also made use of its Metal Catalyzed Chemical Etch or MCCE black silicon technology in the process. The cell efficiency of 22.28% was tested and certified by another German testing institute – Fraunhofer ISE.

“We are pleased to see Canadian Solar P5 technology set a new world record. This shows that our multi-crystalline technology can achieve higher efficiencies while still enjoy the cost advantage,” said Dr Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar.