PERC Module Efficiency Sees Gradual Improvements, Peaking At 21.7%

Key takeaways

• The PERC efficiency range in January 2022 was 21.5% to 21.6%, gradually increasing to 21.7% by February 2022

• Several companies, including LONGi, Risen, and JinkoSolar, made significant improvements, achieving up to 21.7% efficiency by the end of 2022

• Many products maintained their efficiency levels throughout 2023, with only a few companies introducing new modules with slightly improved efficiencies

When TaiyangNews started tracking module efficiencies in January 2022, the PERC efficiency range was 21.5% to 21.6%, which quickly increased to 21.7% the following month and remained so from then on. While a few companies did announce PERC modules above 21.7%, we did not find proof for commercialization, so we haven’t included them in our TOP SOLAR MODULES list (See Analysis Of Cell Technology Trends).

Initially, there were 12 products listed in the PERC category in January 2022: 5 modules from Risen, CSI, Suntech, Talesun and Trina Solar were listed at 21.6%, while only 1 module from EGing was reaching 21.57%. In addition, 6 modules from LONGi Solar, JA Solar, Jinergy, Astronergy, Qcells, and Tongwei were at the lowest threshold of 21.5%.

In February 2022, LONGi increased the efficiency of its PERC module to 21.7%, JA Solar's product improved to 21.6%, and Yingli entered the list with a 21.57% efficiency module. The only change in March was Seraphim entering the list with a 21.5% module. The next change took place only in July 2022, when Risen commercialized an improved product with an efficiency of 21.7%, making it the second product to hit the highest point for PERC in the listing, after LONGi.

In August, Jinergy's product was listed with an improved efficiency of 21.52%, but the product spec was inaccessible for the next 2 months. In September, DAS Solar entered the list with a 21.5% PERC module. In October, JinkoSolar, with no representation in the segment until then (i.e., the company’s commercially available PERC products didn’t clear the 21.5% criterion), entered the list with a 21.68% product. Jinergy re-entered our radar with a product featuring improved efficiency of 21.57% in November(see Narrowest Top Modules Efficiency Band).

The last 2 changes for 2022 in the PERC category were CSI’s new 21.7% efficiency module and Akcome's PERC module entering the list for the first time with an efficiency of 21.68%. While there were no changes in the first 2 months of 2023, Tongwei improved the efficiency of its PERC modules in March to 21.7% and Astronergy to 21.6%. Then in April 2023, DAS Solar increased its product efficiency to 21.7%, while there were no further changes to the PERC listing till the end of H1 2023. From July, Suntech joined the list with an efficiency of 21.7%, an improvement from its previous 21.6%. In the same month, Qn-SOLAR, SolarSpace, and URECO joined at the 21.57% efficiency point, while CECEP, GCL-Si, and Runergy entered with 21.5% efficiency.

In August, GCL-Si improved the top efficiency of its PERC product to 21.6%. The only change to take place in September was Astronergy reducing the best efficiency of its PERC offerings to 21.5%, back to the February level. In October, ZNSHINE joined in with an efficiency of 21.5%, and these products maintained their efficiency levels until the end of December 2023. None of these products have undergone any changes throughout the first half of 2024. However, the segment as a whole saw only one change: Kalyon’s PERC product with21.61% efficiency was included in the March list, which remained unchanged since then until June. This module was delisted in the July 2024 version (See TOP SOLAR MODULES Listing – July 2024)

The TaiyangNews TOP SOLAR MODULES H1/2024 Report summarizes the key findings from over 30 editions published during 2022 and H1/2024. Download the free report here.