Chinese heterojunction (HJT) solar technology company Cando Solar has secured a reliability certificate from German testing institute TUV Rheinland for its 210mm busbar-free HJT solar module, claiming it to be the world's 1st such certificate for this category of modules.
What makes it significant, as Cando Solar explains, is that current mass-produced busbar-free HJT modules in Europe are smaller in size, using 162mm sized cells. In fact, Meyer Burger's SmartWire Connection Technology (SWCT) has been the only technology that can support busbar-less cell processing so far. While not providing details, Cando Solar claims it has designed a technology that can use busbar-less cells and even applicable to larger G12 format that at the end generates higher yield while lowering the complexity of production, according to Cando Solar.
Busbars are usually made of silver or copper plated silver. The use of this high-priced metal adds to the overall cost of a solar module and makes HJT an expensive technology to pursue when pitted against the industry workhorse currently, PERC which has already achieved economies of scale.
With a large format solar module and no busbars, Cando Solar promises a cost-effective solution for HJT uptake. Citing various patents filed by the company, the management claims Cando Solar is capable of reducing manufacturing cost significantly, at least 10% lower than its European competitors at present.
Currently, Cando Solar has a production capacity of 100 MW which it aims to now expand to 1 GW and later on to 10 GW in the future. The fund raising for the initial 1 GW has been completed, it shared.