Tongwei showcased the latest manufacturing technologies supporting its TNC high-efficiency TOPCon platform at SNEC 2026
The company says the combined effect of TPE 2.0, Poly Tech 2.0, and full steel plate printing can support more than 10 W of additional power for modules of the same format
The updated manufacturing approach is also designed to improve bifaciality, reduce UVID degradation, and lower hotspot risk
Solar manufacturer Tongwei presented the latest manufacturing technologies supporting its TOPCon platform, called TNC, at SNEC 2026 in Shanghai. The company described the developments as the latest step in the evolution of its TNC platform, building on TNC 1.0 and TNC 2.0 with a focus on higher module power, improved bifaciality, and long-term reliability.
Tongwei highlighted 3 core manufacturing technologies behind the platform: TPE 2.0 edge passivation, Poly Tech 2.0 patterning, and full steel plate printing. According to the company, these process upgrades work together to reduce cell-level losses while improving manufacturing quality and module performance.
Qi Gang, Deputy Director of the Platform Process Integration Department at Tongwei Solar, said TPE 2.0 addresses damage introduced during cell cutting by improving edge passivation and reducing recombination losses at the cut surface. According to him, the technology can contribute more than 5 W of additional module power for modules of the same format while significantly mitigating ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID).
Poly Tech 2.0 redesigns the rear polysilicon pattern so that polysilicon remains only beneath the gridline regions rather than across the full rear surface. This reduces optical parasitic absorption, increases short-circuit current and conversion efficiency, and improves bifaciality by more than 5%. Tongwei also attributes more than 3 W of additional module power to this process.
The 3rd technology, full steel-plate printing, is intended to improve metallization quality by reducing gridline resistance and improving gridline consistency. Tongwei says it supports stable fine-line printing in mass production, contributes more than 2 W of additional module power, and reduces hotspot risk.
Combined, the company states that the 3 manufacturing technologies can provide more than 10 W of additional module power for modules of the same format. Tongwei also highlighted their contribution to higher bifacial performance, noting that the TNC platform is designed to support module bifaciality of up to 90%, particularly benefiting installations in highly reflective environments.
Beyond its TNC platform, the company also outlined progress across other cell technology routes. Speaking to TaiyangNews during SNEC 2026, Dr. Xing Guoqiang, CTO of Tongwei, said the company continues to advance research in heterojunction (THC), back-contact (TBC), and perovskite-silicon tandem technologies.
He noted that Tongwei's THC-G12 module achieved 802.43 W and 25.83% conversion efficiency under standard dimensions. The result was enabled by a combination of cell- and module-level innovations, including copper interconnection with silver-free metallization, ultra-fine copper gridlines, and busbar-free interconnection.
Dr. Guoqiang also highlighted ongoing work on multiple back-contact architectures, including p-type TBC, n-type TBC, and HTBC. According to him, research efficiencies have reached 27.29% for n-type TBC cells and 27.40% for HTBC cells, while TBC modules have exceeded 680 W.
In perovskite-silicon tandem technology, Tongwei has commissioned a fully automated megawatt-scale pilot line in September 2025. The company reported research efficiencies of 34.94% for small-area tandem cells and 31.69% for full-size 210 half-cell tandem cells.