TaiyangNews will soon be back with more virtual events! Mark your calendars for September 30, 2025, for a Special Webinar on Back Contact Technology, sponsored by LONGi. This will be followed by the TaiyangNews Solar & Sustainability 2025 Conference on October 9, 2025. Details and registration links will be shared soon. We look forward to seeing you there!
TaiyangNews will explore the US solar market amid evolving regulations at the upcoming RE+ 2025 event in Las Vegas. We are co-organizing the 2025 Solar Made in USA Summit in collaboration with RE+ and EUPD Research. Scheduled for September 8, 2025, this physical event will bring together leading solar industry experts to discuss the future of US solar and storage manufacturing, as well as strategies for navigating regulatory challenges posed by the OBBBA. Registrations are now open here.
TaiyangNews’ Head of Technology, Shravan Chunduri, asked the panelists for their advice on setting up solar cell production lines outside China. Among the key messages from DKEM’s Director of New Technology Development, Fangqing Guo; Leadmicro's CTO, Dr. Jerry Liao; and RCT Solutions Sales Director, Sukumar Madugula, was an emphasis on cost management, strong engineering, and skilled teams. Leveraging local sourcing offers an edge, while stressing the importance of friendly local policies and reliable supply chains for smooth operations.
Sukumar Madugula, Sales Director at RCT Solutions, highlighted India’s rush to set up solar cell lines amid 100+ GW installed capacity, >45 GW annual demand, and DCR requirements. He questioned the focus on branding modules, suggesting that the market can consider cell-only lines or partnerships instead. With proper local strategies and engineering, CapEx and timelines for module lines can improve. Madugula believes module line investments remain viable with the right approach.
Cybrid Technologies’ Raybo encapsulant film is designed to address UV-induced degradation in TOPCon cells. The film significantly reduces UVID while keeping the cell’s UV sensitivity intact, resulting in a power boost of about 1%, said Deputy CTO Dr. Hisanari Onouchi of Cybrid. The company also offers EPE encapsulant, which he said ensures excellent lamination and anti-PID performance for double-glass modules, enhancing reliability for long-term use.
Chun Zhang, CTO of CETC Red Solar, detailed the company’s TOPCon equipment portfolio, including ALD and PECVD coating solutions. He claims that the company's patented stacked graphite boat PECVD system increases throughput by 15%, achieving up to 500 MW, while reducing total cost of ownership by 10% and improving material utilization.
Dr. Jerry Liao, CTO at Leadmicro, discussed the development of the company’s latest LPCVD tool designed for back contact technology. The new tool delivers 40% higher throughput of 8000 pieces per tube, achieved through innovations such as an updated double-paddle design and an improved furnace hot zone, which ensures better film uniformity with just 3% deviation, he claimed.
Copper continues to dominate discussions as the leading alternative to silver in solar cells, thanks to its lower cost and good conductivity. The challenge? Oxidation and the sensitivity of its firing process to the atmosphere, along with concerns about module reliability. Fangqing Guo, Director of New Technology Development at DKEM, revealed the company's solution: an ultra-low silver seed layer followed by high copper paste. This approach is already in mass production, and both cells and modules have passed reliability tests.
TOPCon cell technology is set to lead the solar PV market for the next 10 years, says Homer Chen, Associate Dean of Research Institute at Shenzhen S.C New Energy. Highlighting PECVD’s lower cost of ownership among other benefits compared to LPCVD, he claims that his company is the sole supplier of PECVD tools to major manufacturers with multi-GW capacities, and that its equipment enables 25.5% TOPCon cell efficiency and over 98% yield in mass production.
Back contact technology is more challenging to master and requires 120% more manpower compared to TOPCon, notes Dr. Josua Stückelberger, Director of Technology – International Business Unit at LAPLACE. As a result, demand for TOPCon and TOPCon+ is higher. Despite the complexity, he stressed that LAPLACE remains fully compatible with TOPCon+ and XBC integration.
Dr. Josua Stückelberger, Director of Technology – International Business Unit at LAPLACE, highlights how the company ensures patent security for its customers. He stressed that LAPLACE’s proprietary LPCVD with ex-situ doping technology enables seamless adoption of innovations and allows customers to sell in the US and Europe without patent concerns.
In 2024, the solar sector used around 6.15 tonnes of silver, equivalent to 9 mg per watt for 703 GW DC of modules shipped at $0.08/W. Actual installations, however, were 570 GW DC. With tandem cell technologies on the horizon, silver consumption is expected to fall further, thanks to their higher efficiency and reduced silver requirement per watt. ITRPV’s Steering Committee Chair, Markus Fischer, says that silver is not going to be in short supply. For 2025, ITRPV forecasts 750 GW DC of module shipments at $0.09/W, while installations are likely to range between 560 GW DC and 650 GW DC.
We’re live with TaiyangNews’ Head of Technology, Shravan Chunduri, kicking off the virtual conference on the future of PV manufacturing! Expect deep dives into cutting-edge module innovations like zero-busbar designs, BOM optimization, and solutions to achieve both top performance and unmatched reliability in next-gen solar modules. Stay tuned!
At the helm of today’s conference is Shravan Chunduri, TaiyangNews’ Head of Technology, who will navigate us through key presentations and updates. Later, he will bring together top experts – Fangqing Guo from DKEM, Dr. Jerry Liao from Leadmicro, and Sukumar Madugula from RCT Solutions – for an insightful panel discussion. The conversation will focus on what’s hot in equipment and materials, as well as the emerging trends shaping PV cell and module manufacturing. Expect valuable insights into the tools and processes that will define the future of solar.
Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect in today’s conference. From key takeaways from ITRPV’s 16th edition to real-world applications, today’s sessions focus on industrial tools and materials that enable next-gen, low-cost, high-efficiency solar production.
Welcome to the TaiyangNews Cell & Module Production Equipment & Processing Materials Conference! For the next 3.5 hours, we’ll bring you real-time updates on the latest advancements in production equipment and process consumables for the cell and module manufacturing chain, straight from top industry experts. Haven’t signed up yet? No problem – registration is free and still open. Join us here, now!