SunDrive has partnered with Maxwell and Vistar to scale up copper-plating for HJT solar technology
The trio will co-develop and distribute commercial-scale direct copper-plating tools for high-efficiency HJT cells
They aim for rapid scale-up and future deployment of this technology in domestic and global manufacturing lines
Australia-based solar PV technology company SunDrive announced a new partnership to co-develop and distribute commercial-scale direct copper-plating tools for high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar cells. Its partners in this collaboration are Chinese solar equipment producers Maxwell Technologies and Vistar Equipment Technology.
Under the joint development agreement (JDA) signed between the trio, Maxwell and Vistar will use their industrial expertise for the development of SunDrive’s copper metallization technology.
The Australian company is replacing silver with copper for HJT solar cell production. In December 2024, it announced achieving a copper plating production yield of over 99% at its commercial pilot production facility in Kurnell (see SunDrive Hits Over 99% Copper Plating Production Yield).
Its partnership with HJT solar cell production equipment maker Maxwell and wet chemical processing and equipment automation specialist Vistar is aimed at industrializing this technology from pilot scale to commercial scale to enable deployment in the manufacturing context.
SunDrive says this partnership will pave the way for rapid scale-up and future deployment of its technology in domestic and global manufacturing lines.
“Maxwell and Vistar’s extensive track record in bringing commercial-scale solar cell production equipment rapidly to market, and distributing at-scale, represents the ideal launchpad for SunDrive to take our technology to Australia and the world,” explained SunDrive CEO Natalie Malligan.
“We have maintained long-term attention and experimentation with copper plating technology. Starting with seed-layer copper in 2022, we then turned our focus to direct plating technology developed by Maxwell in 2024,” said Vistar General Manager Gong Qing.
Silver is widely used in solar cells as a metallization paste of choice, but high demand and costs have been driving the industry to seek alternatives. Copper is a promising option as it is believed to lower production costs while maintaining cell efficiency. While most companies are exploring copper-plated silver to reduce its consumption, SunDrive’s technology is about completely replacing silver’s use in HJT.
For SunDrive, this collaboration follows its partnership with another Chinese PV manufacturer, Trinasolar, in 2024, as the duo revealed plans to produce solar modules at scale using the Australian company’s copper metallization technology. Together with Trinasolar, it is applying for ARENA’s Solar Sunshot (see Trinasolar To Expand Manufacturing Footprint To Australia).
TaiyangNews explores the subject of silver and copper use in all 3 mainstream solar cell technologies in its latest report, Cell & Module Technology Trends 2025. It is available for free download here.