JinkoSolar is one of the early adopters of TOPCon technology. The company was at the forefront of bringing this technology to the commercialization stage. Naturally, its latest product developments are based on TOPCon. In addition to providing a summary of the new product developments presented at the latest tradeshows, Leo Cong, product manager at JinkoSolar, also discussed during the TaiyangNews Global System Technology Trends Conference a very interesting topic on the standardization of module dimensions, essentially in the context of rectangular wafers .
Giving some background on the development of TOPCon technology at the company, Cong said that JinkoSolar has been working on n-type since 2016 and officially launched the Tiger Neo family by the end of 2021. Then, already in 2022, the company shipped Tiger Neo n-type modules worth 10 GW along with signed orders for 30 GW. This has also led to the company shifting its focus primarily to TOPCon technology. By the end of 2023, 60% of JinkoSolar's production capacity will support n-type TOPCon, Cong underscored. The company has achieved a best TOPCon cell efficiency of 26.4%, while the mass production efficiency is at 25.4%. Having said that, the company's mainstream portfolio consists of a wide product range consisting of both n-type and p-type modules, modules based on different wafer dimensions and cell counts, and power classes to cater to different application scenarios. For utility applications, the company is promoting Tiger Neo modules with 78 cells, which have a power of 635 W. The Tiger Neo 72- cell module is a good choice for C&I rooftop due to the low voltage and flexible string setting. The high efficiency of 22.84% and power of up to 590 W also guarantee good performance during the project analysis stage. Tiger Neo 54 modules are compatible with both residential and C&I rooftop with a power of 485 W and an efficiency of 22.47%. Apart from a standard monofacial design, the Tiger Neo 54 is also available in the bifacial configuration. For applications where aesthetics are a criterion, Tiger Neo Black is also available with the highest power rating of 440 W. The Tiger Neo series also comes with high reliability, having passed 3 times the spec for standard reliability testing conditions accomplished by TUV Nord, as Cong presented at the TaiyangNews conference (see Leo Cong product manager at JinkoSolar's Presentation on The Dimension Standardization).
Presenting the trends at the SNEC, Cong noted that over 90% of the manufacturers at the show chose n-type TOPCon module products, which is consistent with JinkoSolar's own estimations. The company's internal evaluation data also shows that over 80% of n-type production is concentrated on TOPCon, and this is expected to increase next year. Bifacial products are also becoming more popular, accounting for 70% of n-type modules. This is due to the high bifaciality of n-type technologies. In terms of application, bifacial is considerably more popular (about 3 times) in utility-scale projects.
Wafer size was another popular topic of discussion at the show. While 182 mm and 210 mm are the mainstream cell sizes in 2023, leading manufacturers are exploring various possibilities for rectangular wafer sizes based on these 2 platforms. JinkoSolar has opted for a rectangular wafer size of 182 x 210 mm for its next generation module design. These rectangular wafer products not only have the design advantages of 182 mm, but can also be combined with the low voltage characteristics of 210 mm. JinkoSolar's rectangular products will exceed 10 GW in the first phase of production, with mass production commencing in H1 2024, according to Cong. Module size naturally follows any discussion of wafer size. JinkoSolar led a consortium on the future size unification of rectangular wafer-based products. The company held a seminar and invited other leading companies on to the dais. The result of this seminar was a resolution that the future mid-size for modules based on the rectangular wafer size is 2,382 x 1,134 mm, with a vertical hole distance of 400-790-1400 mm(see Standardized PV Panel Size Gets Unanimous Votes).
In 2022, JinkoSolar conducted 10 field test projects worldwide for 8+ testing parameters such as IM, real power degradation, and different ground albedos. About 5 different module types were used for comparison. Cong presented the feedback results from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and 4 locations in China. Tiger Pro and Tiger Neo modules were chosen for these projects, and power gains ranging from 3.47% in Zhangbei to 5.57% in Malaysia have been observed.
The text is an excerpt from TaiyangNews New Solar Products Overview H1/2023, which can be downloaded for free here.
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