TCL TZE, a leading wafer maker and a major shareholder of Maxeon Solar Technologies, recently showcased its brand-new TOPCon-based shingled module G12-68P series at SNEC 2024 in Shanghai, China held in June. The double-glass module boasts a power output of up to 730 W and an efficiency of 23.2%. As the model name indicates, it uses a G12-based cell size cut into 1/3rd, and 204 of such cell strips are interconnected using shingling technology to build the module.
In shingled interconnection technology, thin strips of solar cells are overlapped, similar to shingles as arranged on a roof. This gapless shingled design with TOPCon cell technology yields a high-density cell package with 2% additional active cell area, compared to its peers in a module dimension of 2,413 x 1,303 x 33 mm, according to TCL TZE. The G12-68P module with a power of 715W+ would be a better choice for an independent power producer (IPP) project. Slicing the cells by 1/3rd lowers the current loss and mitigates the risk of module hotspot risk, compared to the state-of-the-art half-cell approach. This gapless design also lowers micro-crack risk, another benefit highlighted by TCL TZE.
TCL TZE mainly offers 6 types of shingled TOPCon modules, which include G12-68P, G12+-66P, G12R-68P, G12R+-66P, G10-74P, and G10-80P. All of these modules, with different dimensions and power bins, are available commercially.
The G12R-68P series, based on rectangular wafer formats fits into the dimensions of 2,413 x 1,303 x 33 mm. It comes with a power tag of 635 W. On the other hand, the G12+66P series has a slightly lower length of 2,382 mm, but a higher width of 1,134 mm. The latter has a 720 W maximum power output. Both the product series have the same efficiency of up to 23.2%. Alongside the power gain, the no-gap design of these TOPCon shingled series results in a uniform appearance with superior aesthetics. This feature provides a bonus for residential, and commercial and industrial (C&I) applications, said the company.
The standard workmanship warranty for TCL TZE shingled TOPCon modules is 15 years, while the power warranty is 30 years for bifacial modules. The first-year degradation is less than 1% and linear degradation is less than 0.4%.