Leading PV manufacturer JA Solar announced a new efficiency record of 28.2% for its HyperGen BC solar cell, validated by TÜV Rheinland.
The cell was jointly developed with Gold Stone and adopts a heterojunction back-contact (HBC) architecture integrating heterojunction (HJT) passivation with tunnel oxide and polycrystalline structures.
According to the companies, the design combines the advantages of HJT and TOPCon technologies, enabling higher conversion efficiency, lower manufacturing costs, and simplified production processes.
Gold Stone said the certification demonstrates the engineering feasibility of HBC technology and its potential for industrial-scale manufacturing.
JA Solar recently announced plans to establish a future energy venture fund with Shanghai Shenergy Chengyi Private Equity Fund Management, with a committed capital of up to RMB 1 billion (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
The Shenzhou-23 manned spacecraft, launched on May 24, is carrying 2 types of perovskite solar cells for in-orbit testing aboard the Chinese Space Station.
One set of single-junction perovskite cells, jointly developed by Renshine Solar, Nanjing University, and the Institute of Semiconductors under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will undergo dynamic operational testing in space for the first time. The experiment will evaluate the degradation of conversion efficiency under various in-orbit operating conditions.
A second set of perovskite tandem cells was jointly developed by Peking University, Beijing Institute of Technology, and space energy company StarDynamic. Building on previous space exposure experiments, the project aims to further validate tandem cell performance and stability under extreme space conditions.
Recently, SUNY began in-orbit validation of its proprietary CPI flexible encapsulation material for space PV applications (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
Specific to perovskites, the Rochester Institute of Technology recently tested perovskite solar cells in space, demonstrating performance over a 100-day mission in low Earth orbit (see Perovskite Solar Cells Move From Lab To Orbit Testing).
JinkoSolar has won a patent invalidation case against TetraSun, a subsidiary of First Solar, with China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) declaring TetraSun’s Chinese TOPCon-related patent fully invalid.
The patent, titled ‘High-efficiency solar cell structure and manufacturing method’ (Patent No. 201080027881.6), was ruled invalid due to a lack of novelty and inventiveness.
According to local media reports, the patent corresponds to US patent US9130074B2, which First Solar has used in patent infringement lawsuits against JinkoSolar, Trinasolar, and more than 20 PV manufacturers in the United States.
The patent covers key TOPCon cell structures and manufacturing processes, including silicon substrates, ultra-thin tunnel oxide layers, doped polysilicon passivation layers, and high-temperature annealing processes widely used in mass-produced TOPCon cells.
Although JinkoSolar’s earlier Inter Partes Review request was rejected by the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), the China ruling removes related TOPCon patent protection in the Chinese market.
Intelligent robotics manufacturer EFORT Intelligent Robot plans to acquire Shanghai Shengpu Fluid Equipment for RMB 1.074 billion.
Shengpu specializes in PV adhesive coating equipment, with more than 90% of its revenue derived from the solar sector. Its customers include LONGi, JinkoSolar, and Trinasolar.
EFORT said this acquisition helps it integrate PV cell handling and module adhesive coating technologies to develop intelligent adhesive-bonding workstations for PV and power-battery production lines.
Shengpu recorded RMB 338 million in revenue and RMB 52.55 million in net profit in 2025. The transaction includes a performance-based earn-out agreement requiring Shengpu to achieve net profits of RMB 80 million in 2026, RMB 90 million in 2027, and RMB 100 million in 2028.