• Canadian Solar is working on developing a new kind of solar module with 20% more energy efficiency than current designs
  • The new high density solar module (HiDM) and will be a shingled module that can be adapted to any type of solar cell
  • It is developing the technology under the Canadian government’s Energy Innovation Program and the government is funding the research with close to CAD 8 million

Canadian Solar is developing a new shingled solar panel with ‘20% greater energy efficiency’ than current designs, through Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. The Canada incorporated but mostly in China producing company has found financial support for the technology from the Government of Canada. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change will invest close to CAD 8 million ($6.07 million) for the research and development of this technology.

The new high density solar module (HiDM) will be a ‘first-of-its-kind shingled module technology’ that Canadian Solar says can be adapted to any type of solar cell. Canadian government’s funding under the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Energy Innovation Program (EIP), will go toward the development and demonstration of the high-density solar panels. It will also lead to job creation for 50 Canadians.

Local news portal Guelph Today said 50 full-time jobs will be created at the company’s Speedvale Avenue West Guelph, Onatrio location and the funding will be spread out over 3 years.

The government expects this kind of module to best suit diesel off-site projects in remote communities of Canada, as well as for rural electrification in global markets. “This technology, if successfully developed could accommodate deployment of commercial systems for industries with large load requirements and a large GHG footprint. There is also potential to leverage the High Density Module (HiDM) product to develop a more comprehensive system to satisfy both domestic and global needs,” reads the Ministry of Natural Resources website.

In May 2019, Fraunhofer ISE certified Canadian Solar’s 22.28% efficiency for p-type multi-crystalline P5 cell (see Trina & Canadian Solar Report Cell Efficiency Records).