China Solar PV News Snippets

ASTRO N7s ZBB-TF TOPCon products from Astronergy; LONGi and China Huaneng sign strategic cooperation agreement; JA Solar's 10 GW wafer & cell fab online; NEA releases power industry stats for Jan-Oct 2023; Shanghai letian claims 26.25% efficiency for perovskite cell.

Astronergy unveils ASTRO N7s ZBB-TF TOPCon products: Solar module manufacturer Astronergy has introduced the ASTRO N7s n-type TOPCon PV module products, targeting distributed generation (DG) and residential markets globally. The company calls it the world's 1^st module with ZBB (Zero BusBar Interconnection Technology) – TF (Tiling Film) manufacturing technology. The product features 54 ZBB TOPCon cells with TF tech to eliminate cell gaps and increase module efficiency significantly, achieving a top conversion efficiency of over 23%.

The company says that the technology enables lower temperature manufacturing, compatibility with thinner silicon wafers, and a reduction in silver paste consumption by over 20%, thereby cutting carbon emissions. The ASTRO N7s ZBB-TF module product boasts higher bifaciality rates, lower LID & LETID, greater reliability, excellent low-irradiation performance, and higher power output per watt. Earlier this month, Astronergy had announced that it has added new product lines for 66-rectangular cell products in its ASTRO N7 TOPCon product series (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

LONGi and Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute deepen strategic cooperation: Vertically integrated solar manufacturer LONGi and China Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute have announced over WeChat that they have signed a strategic cooperation agreement. According to the agreement signed at the 25th China International High-Tech Fair, the 2 parties aim to carry out extensive and in-depth cooperation in testing and certification, outdoor demonstration, standards, application for major national projects, and talent training.

JA Solar's Shijiazhuang wafer & cell fab starts production: Vertically integrated PV manufacturer JA Solar has announced that it has commissioned its 10 GW wafers and 10 GW cells fab at the Shijiazhuang base. The company's Chairman Jin Baofang said that the company has invested over RMB 10 billion ($1.4 billion) in the fab, which is the highest for the company in Hebei Province.

China's Jan to Oct 2023 new PV capacity installations total 142.56 GW: China's National Energy Administration has released the national power industry statistics from January to October. The highlights are as follows:

• China's newly installed PV capacity for the 10 months of 2023 increased 144.78% YoY to 142.56 GW
• 62 GW of new PV capacity was installed in October alone, increasing 141.49%YoY
• As of the end of October, cumulative PV installed capacity increased 47% YoY to 540 GW

Shanghai letian claims 26.25% efficiency for perovskite cell: Shanghai letian Calcium Tianium Optoelectronic Technology has announced that its perovskite solar cell jointly developed with the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences has achieved a third-party certified efficiency of 26.25%. The efficiency figure has been certified by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation System and Wind Power System Quality Inspection Center. The company claims it to be the highest for a perovskite solar cell. Shanghai letian says that it is currently accelerating the advancement of the 100 MW pilot line and the implementation of its 1 GW perovskite module fab.