A leading equipment maker turned into a solar manufacturer, Meyer Burger Technology Ltd, has introduced its first module series at an online product premiere on its website and social media channels today. Three patent-protected product variants were presented, all of which will be manufactured using the proprietary heterojunction/SmartWire technology in the Swiss company's own production facilities in Germany.
Meyer Burger has spear headed HJT technology development as a leading equipment maker. Of late, the company changed its business model and decided to keep inhouse the know-how of HJT cell production technology and its Smart Wire cell connection technology for solar modules that is highly compatible for HJT technology and rather sell the final product.
Meyer Burger highlights that its products are developed following a so-called guiding principle "The best. From here. For tomorrow", corresponding to origin, and sustainability, respectively.
The company initially offers three product variants – White, Black and Glass – always prefixed with the company name "Meyer Burger", with a power rating between 390 W to 400 W and up to 21.8% efficiency. The products are mainly aimed at the rooftop market for residential and meeting the needs of small C&I customers.
Though the modules are based on half cell layout, the company flaunts a homogeneous "full cell" appearance. Use of Smart Wire technology for module interconnection reduces the risk for microcrack formation, a proprietary "gapless" cell arrangement enhances the module area utilization and power density, and employing a special backsheet that assures a longevity are key features of the modules, it emphasizes. Indeed, both the backsheet based products – White and Black – are assured with a very high 92% performance warranty after 25 years, while the glass-glass bifacial module would retain 93% of its labelled power after 30 years. The industry standard after 20 years is rather 80% and 85%, respectively. The bifacial module of the company comes with best-in-class bifaciality of 90%. Factoring in this bifaciality level, the company rates the module with 430 W at bifacial standard testing conditions (BSTC).
Moritz Borgmann, the newly appointed managing director looking after global sales and marketing, said, "The next-generation of solar cells, which we interconnect with our proprietary SmartWire interconnection technology, enable our customers to achieve up to 20% higher energy yield on the same roof area. We achieve this industry-leading energy yield and up to 400 watt-peak module power without having to make the modules ever larger, as our competitors do. This allows installers to make the most of their customers' roofs and to work with modules of familiar size and manageable weight" he added
Meyer Burger's new module comes at a standard size and weights under 20 kg, which is ideally suited for rooftop applications.
Meyer Burger emphasizing the 'Made In Europe' tag of its module a lot. Not just the cells and modules, the company says, but the entire silicon as well as other components are sourced from Europe, thus contributing to Europe's strategic independence in the key technology of photovoltaics and to the resilience of supply chains.
The modules of the company are advertised with a strong emphasis on sustainability. Meyer Burger's modules made in Germany are produced using 100% renewable energy, the modules are also all free of toxic lead and therefore already compliant with the European RoHS Regulation, though PV modules are enjoying an exemption from the directive for time being. Furthermore, Meyer Burger is striving for a solution for almost complete recycling of the modules, contributing to the circular economy.
Meyer Burger has lined up leading European distributors as partners for sales of its modules. The list includes BayWa r.e., IBC Solar, KdiSolar, Krannich Solar, Memodo, Solarmarkt, Solen Energy Europe and Sonepar, and is expected to grow in coming days. During the event, Meyer Burger was encouraging installers to add its modules to their portfolio. While installers can already start ordering, the shipment of first modules is slated kickstart in about 2 months – before end of July 2021.