LONGi Solar’s Pure Black Series Module At SNEC 2024

LONGi Solar, a vertically integrated PV manufacturing company and an ardent believer in back-contact cell technology, unveiled its recent addition to the Hi-MO X6 product family at SNEC 2024.

Speaking to TaiyangNews at the event, the company highlighted its Hi-MO X6 Artist ultra-black double-glass module targeted at Europe’s distributed generation (DG) segment. The company calls this new HPBC (Hybrid Passivated Back Contact) cell-based Artist series module its response to the growing demand for aesthetically pleasing solar modules in Europe's residential sector. It says the ultra-black module's special features can be characterized by multiple metrics—aesthetics, safety & reliability, and power.

Aesthetics

LONGi attributes the 360° black appearance of the new Hi-MO X6 Artist module to 2 main features. Its low-reflective textured-based HPBC black cell reduces incident light reflection with additional light-trapping between the front glass and cell surface, resulting in 1.2% higher light absorption, explained LONGi. Based on the principle of diffuse reflection, the structured glass evenly reflects the incident light that strikes it back multiple times in different directions, creating a black optical effect from all sides. LONGi ensures the optical quality of the new module by implementing a stringent continuous automatic optical inspection (AOI) process that detects different levels of black cells in a particular batch and maintains a predefined standard black for the ultra-black module.

Safety & reliability

Acknowledging the potential risk of rooftop-installed modules in extreme weather event-prone regions, LONGi has tweaked its normal 54-cell-based module design. The company has replaced the 1.6 mm thick front glass with a 2 mm one and upgraded its frame with a non-slip groove design. The thicker front glass with 56% higher bending stress resistance compared to 1.6 mm glass enhances the module's maximum wind load carrying capacity to speed above 120 km/h and also heavy snow loads. Regarding the upgraded black non-slip groove frame design, LONGi emphasized improved contact between the clamp and module frame, which enhances the mechanical front load carrying capacity to 6,000 Pa and the back to 3,600 Pa.

LONGi offers 25 years of product and 30 years of performance warranty on the Hi-MO X6 ultra-black modules. The thicker 2 mm front glass reduces the risk of cell microcracks during extreme weather events and the usage of POE as an encapsulation material improves the module’s thermal stability, UV resistance, and corrosion resistance, explains LONGi.

Power

According to the company, the gridless busbar-free front-side HPBC cell design, in the absence of any shadow, enables increased light absorption by up to 2% compared to a similar TOPCon module. This additional absorbed light inside the cell enables a high photovoltaic (PV) conversion efficiency. The company also found that its HPBC technology-based module generates up to 1.54% higher power than TOPCon modules in low-light scenarios. The ultra-black Hi-MO X6 Artist module boasts a power range of up to 435 W and an efficiency of up to 22.3%. The new ultra-black module is commercially available.