Innovation Drives Solar PV Forward Despite Market Headwinds

Innovation continues to be a defining force in the solar PV industry. Regardless of market cycles or temporary downturns, the pace of technological progress remains unrelenting. Many of the latest breakthroughs are on full display at the sector’s 2 premier global trade fairs, The smarter E / Intersolar Europe in Munich, Germany, and SNEC in Shanghai, China.

This year was no exception. TaiyangNews convened leading innovators to spotlight their most recent advancements presented at the 2 solar shows during its 2-day PV System Technology Trends 2025 virtual conference, held on June 24 and 26, 2025.

Opening the conference, TaiyangNews Managing Director Michael Schmela highlighted the key takeaways from this year’s exhibitions. He noted robust participation, particularly notable given the financial challenges currently facing the PV sector, especially among Chinese manufacturers grappling with overcapacity and declining margins.

Nevertheless, the industry’s focus remains sharply on reducing system costs and improving module efficiencies. At the same time, hybrid systems and digital integration are gaining greater traction within the solar ecosystem.

Kickstarting Day 1 with his keynote address, TaiyangNews Head of Technology Shravan Chunduri shared the latest analysis of the TOP SOLAR MODULES Listing, launched in 2022, from the H1 2025 report. He highlighted a clear trend of more and more manufacturers turning to high-efficiency n-type cell architectures like IBC, HJT, and TOPCon as PERC is discontinued. AIKO, with its industry-leading 24.4% all back contact (ABC) commercial module efficiency, stays put on the top of the list, while heterojunction (HJT) remains the front-runner in terms of module power. This space is led by Huasun Energy’s 730 W module.

LONGi’s Product Marketing Expert, Charles Cheng, outlined the industry’s transition through key solar cell technologies, starting with Al-BSF, then moving to PERC in 2017, followed by TOPCon in 2022, and now back contact (BC) technology post-2024, which delivers a 1.6% efficiency boost.

For its HIBC cell technology, LONGi has achieved a certified efficiency of 27.81% and reached 34.85% efficiency for a silicon perovskite tandem solar cell. Given its many advantages, the manufacturer plans to stick with BC as its core technology. With 30 GW of BC shipped in 2024 and 40 GW in orders, LONGi targets 800 W+ tandem modules by 2030 and 900 W+ by 2031.

Talking about the company’s latest generation Tiger Neo 3.0, Shayne Li, JinkoSolar’s Product Manager, explained that this builds on the company’s ambitious TOPCon efficiency roadmap (2022-2027: 24% to 28%) and features several advanced technologies. Leveraging its HOT 4.0 platform and 20-busbar (20BB) design, transitioned from super multi busbar (SMBB), the modules achieve up to 24.8% efficiency and 670 W output. The 20BB tech alone contributes a 0.19% gain by reducing shading and hotspots, he added. 

Key enhancements in the 3^rd generation include Jinko’s Metallization Enhancement (ME) for a 0.5% boost, half-cut passivation (HCP) for 0.8%, and Multipiece (FP) technology. Tailored for utility (730-600 W), DG (475 W), and scenario-specific needs, it also includes Neo Marine double-glass modules.

Aran Huang, from Tongwei Solar’s Overseas Technical Support team, said that her company’s target remains to push the boundaries of solar cell performance. With its upgraded TNC 2.0 technology, it targets to achieve a cell efficiency of 26.5%. It plans to achieve this with some key enhancements, including zero busbar (ZBB/0BB) technology, stencil printing for thin and uniform grid lines, and TPE technology, the latter designed to minimize power losses from cell cutting and all contributing towards improving efficiency.

While exploring future architectures, including back contact cells with 26.89% efficiency in R&D, the company is also experimenting with its p-type variant, attaining 25.5%. However, Tongwei remains committed to the TOPCon for now. In 2024, it shipped 45.71 GW and maintains a robust supply chain with 300,000 tons of MG silicon and 900,000 tons of polysilicon, Huang added.

Vitor Rodrigues, Technical Director for EU & LATAM at GCL System Integration, outlined his company’s ESG-driven technology strategy, spotlighting that its proprietary FBR silicon process consumes 76% less power and has a 74% lower carbon footprint than the Siemens method.

With a 540,000-ton polysilicon capacity, equivalent to 240 GW, the company supports a traceable, low-carbon supply chain audited by TÜV, achieving an AA rating.

Unveiled at SNEC 2025, GCL’s new TOPCon 2.0 (66-cell, 210R) and 660 W back contact modules under GPC 2.0 will launch commercially in September 2025, while 2 m² tandem modules – targeting 30% efficiency with TOPCon as the bottom cell – are slated for mass production from H2 2026 with 2 GW initial capacity.

DMEGC Solar, boasting 23 GW cell and 21 GW module capacity, increased its 2024 module shipments by 73% to 17.2 GW, half of which were exported overseas. In terms of technology, Kinyang Zou, DMEGC Solar’s Product Manager, said that the company supports all mainstream PV applications and targets over 620 W module output by 2025. It aims to achieve this by leveraging advancements like poly-finger TOPCon cells, multi-cutting (1/3, 1/4 cell), 0BB, single ribbon, and IFC technology.

DMEGC Solar's product lineup also includes ultra-black, hail-resistant, anti-glare, lightweight, installer-friendly (IFM), and agriPV modules with 3% to 50% transmittance. The company's technology roadmap includes a shift from M10R to G12R wafer platforms.

At Intersolar Europe 2025, Germany’s Weidmüller showcased its PV Inline, an ultra-compact, plug-and-play surge protection device for small rooftop solar systems. The solution meets mandatory European safety regulations, shielding installations from external overvoltages, according to the company.

Available in 1 MPP and 2 MPP designs, PV Inline simplifies wiring, speeds up installation, and is built to last over 20 years. With its minimal footprint, it’s ideal for dense rooftop setups. Already deployed across Europe, the company plans to roll out the product globally, said Jan Marrenbach, Strategic Product Manager for Photovoltaics at Weidmüller.

At Intersolar Europe 2025, K2 Systems GmbH showcased upgrades to its PV mounting portfolio in response to evolving module trends, such as larger formats and thinner frames with lower load tolerance. Nadine Wade, Product Manager of K2 Systems, emphasized that in the absence of universal standards, K2 leans on established building codes, especially as certification demand rises.

The company is shifting from steel to aluminum to reduce weight and improve corrosion resistance, even as some module makers pivot toward stainless steel frames. She also listed some of the company’s new launches, including the K2 Dome 6 Xpress LS, K2 N-Rack, and K2 Carport, which offer flexible, high-load, pre-assembled solutions for rooftops, walls, and carports.

Volker Biemann, Managing Director Operations and Co-Founder of MBJ Solutions GmbH, unveiled the MBJ Quickcheck, an interesting portable solution for onsite solar module inspection. Introduced at this year’s Intersolar Europe, this 7 kg mobile device enables electroluminescence (EL) imaging of active modules in daylight conditions, eliminating the need for disconnection. 

With a resolution of 640 x 512 pixels and a 600 x 480 mm field of view, it delivers diagnostic results in under a minute per module. Real-time EL images can be viewed via smartphone or optional VR headsets, streamlining mobile PV diagnostics with precision and speed.