Huasun’s HJT Modules For Multiple Applications

• Huasun is currently running HJT 3.0 generation cell technology featuring doped microcrystalline silicon films on both sides with an efficiency of 25.5%.
• HJT modules have several inherent advantages, such as low temperature coefficient, better weak light sensitivity, high bifaciality, and are less prone to degradation.
• The company has a production capacity of 5.1 GW for cells and modules, which is already the highest till date, and plans to expand further to 20 GW by the end of 2023 and to over 40 GW by 2025.

In the past, HJT technology was only promoted for premium rooftop applications. However, Huasun, a pioneer of the technology, was one of the early proponents of using HJT for the other 2 mainstream applications – C&I and utility-scale solar. Huasun is now exploring other application scenarios for HJT and developing compatible products. At the TaiyangNews conference, Tracy Hong, director of pre-sales technical and product support at Huasun, presented an overview of the company's products for multi-scenario applications, including the mainstream and beyond (see recording here).

The company is currently running HJT 3.0 generation cell technology featuring doped microcrystalline silicon films on both sides with an efficiency of 25.5%. HJT technology has several inherent advantages, such as low temperature coefficient of 0.26%/°C, better weak light sensitivity, high bifaciality of up to 97%, and is less prone to degradation. However, the technology also suffers from high UV sensitivity. To overcome this, the company uses encapsulation material with UV conversion technology that transforms the UV into other wavelengths that can be easily absorbed by the cells. To create a better moisture barrier, the company uses a glass-glass structure with PIB sealing at the edges. Another proof of Huasun's reliable design is that its modules picked randomly from the production have passed PVEL's criticalPQP test and have also been awarded the PVEL TOP PERFORMER title. Counting on these tests, both external as well as internal, Huasun is offering a 15-year product warranty and 30-year linear power warranty.

Lower carbon footprint is also an important attribute of HJT technology. The technology has lower processing steps and the whole cell processing takes place at less than 200 °C. The key contributor to the low carbon footprint of HJT is the wafer. At the current level of 130μm wafer thickness, the carbon footprint is already lower than 400 g CO2 eq/W. When reducing the wafer thickness to 90 μm, which is part of Huasun's plan for next year, the carbon footprint would reduce to 300 g CO2 eq/W.

When it comes to product offerings, Huasun has product platforms that are suitable for 3 mainstream applications – residential rooftop, C&I rooftop and utility. For residential rooftop applications, the company is promoting the M10-based 108 half-cell format. This product group has 3 different variants – all black, transparent black and black frame – with up to 450 W power and 23% efficiency. Huasun is relying on the M10 wafer format for C&I applications as well, but uses 144 half-cells to reach a higher power rating of 600 W with an efficiency of 23.2%. For utility applications, Huasun offers G12-based 132 half-cell modules with up to 720 W power and 23.2% efficiency. Huasun claims that using its modules can increase the project installation capacity by up to 9% in rooftop applications of both residential and C&I projects compared with PERC or TOPCon modules of the same format. In case of utility, the benefits of the higher power and efficiency are realized in the form of savings in raking system, land area, installation costs and BOS, which ultimately translate into a 3% reduction in BOS costs, 4% lower LCOE and 8% gain in IRR for a project of about 100 MW.

In addition to its mainstream applications, Huasun has also developed modules specifically for offshore and AgriPV applications. For offshore applications, as in for floating PV, Huasun has developed a module with a special BOM that is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the marine environment. This BOM includes double layered coating glass, multi coating frame, IP68 connector with protect cap and SMBB interconnection with inter cell spacing of 0.8 mm. These upgrades have enabled the modules to pass IEC salt mist Level 8 test and also first to receive the certificate for modulereliability under marine environment from Bureau Veritas. Huasun claims that its offshore modules can reduce BOS costs by 7% and transportation costs by 6% in floating PV applications. For AgriPV applications, especially for vertical installations, Huasun has developed a module with higher bifaciality. Given the inherently high bifaciality of the HJT cell structure coupled with an optimized module design, Huasun says that its products can have very high bifaciality of up to 97% (see Top Solar Modules Listing – September 2023).

Huasun is a pioneer of the HJT technology in mass production. The company has a production capacity of 5.1 GW for cells and modules, which is already the highest till date, and plans to expand further to 20 GW by the end of 2023 and to over 40 GW by 2025. The company has cumulatively shipped over 1.5 GW, including to the world's largest utility-scale HJT project in Bulgaria with an expected capacity of 350 MW and Hang emphasizes that the company has signed a contract with the same client to supply an additional 1.5 GW. Huasun qualified as a BNEF Tier 1 company in Q1 2023, the youngest company in the Tier 1 list. It is also the first to be fully relying on HJT projects to be listed in Tier 1, which is a recognition of brand credibility and bankability, according to Hang. During the same time, Huasun module products have been reinsured by Ariel Re. Keeping HJT at its core, Huasun has laid clear efficiency roadmapto adopt advanced techniques such as copper plating and back contact architecture to reach above 26% efficiency and module power of 750 W by 2024. Going beyond, the company is planning to commercialize the perovskite tandem cell architecture with an efficiency of 28%, corresponding to a module power of 800 W by 2025.

The text is an excerpt from TaiyangNews New Solar Products Overview H1/2023, which can be downloaded for free here.