Top Solar Modules Listing – November 2023

For the second time after February of this year, the TaiyangNews TOP MODULES list for November remained unchanged. The number of products listed in this month’s table is the same as the previous month, at 54, and there is no change even with respect to the number of companies, i.e., 32. Therefore,  Aiko Solar, one of the leading Chinese cell manufacturers that has expanded into modules, again holds the top position with a groundbreaking commercial record efficiency of 24%. The module was displayed first during the SNEC trade fair in Shanghai and then at Intersolar Europe in Munich. Aiko broke its own record of 23.6% that featured in our TOP SOLAR MODULES listing since March. Aiko’s AIKO-A620-MAH72Mw has a power rating of 620 W. Like its predecessor, the new record module product is also from its ABC module series that relies on the back contact cell architecture. In May, we included LONGi Solar’s Hi-MO6 module with an updated efficiency of 23.2%. As a result, LONGi has made the No. 2 position its own, which it shared with Maxeon before May 2023. Huasun, which has moved to 3^rd place from 5^th in September, retained its position. The 715 W module from its Himalaya G12 series, which uses HJT 2.0 technology and is aimed at utility-scale applications, was featured in the recent TaiyangNews Virtual Conference on Solar Power Plant developments (see presentation here).

For details about the different modules, please check the Results & Changes section below, following the Background, Methodology chapters.

Background

Efficiency and output power are the 2 key characteristics of a solar module. While there are several means to improve module power such as employing larger cell sizes or integrating more cells into a module, it’s the efficiency that truly speaks about the ability of the solar device to convert sunlight per area into power. That’s why this list includes only the highest efficiency solar modules.

TaiyangNews has been covering the efficiency progress of solar modules through its annual reports on Advanced Module Technologies starting from 2017 and its annual conference as of 2020. Our latest Solar Module Innovations Report was published in August 2022 (download report here) and our most recent annual conference on Solar Module Innovations took place on January 31, 2023 (access the presentations here). However, in the quickly changing solar sector, a lot is happening over the course of a year. To keep our readers updated about the efficiency progress more frequently, TaiyangNews has started this monthly column on commercial TOP SOLAR MODULES at the beginning of 2022. TaiyangNews has also published 2 reports presenting the analysis of this monthly list – an annual overview analyzing the developments over the course of last year, (see TOP SOLAR MODULES 2022), and an extended analysis to June 2023 that was published during Intersolar Europe (see TOP SOLAR MODULES H1-2023).

Methodology

Before going into the details, here is some background on the methodology and selection criteria: Since module efficiencies have been improving considerably in recent years, more than 0.5% average per year, to make the list rewarding for technically advanced products, we set the minimum efficiency to be included at 21.5%. We have listed only commercially available top modules from each cell technology stream of one module maker. For example, if a company is offering 2 different product streams based on PERC technology that have more than 21.5% efficiency, then only the product with the higher efficiency is considered for this list. But if a module maker is offering, for example, products based on PERC and TOPCon that have efficiencies of 21.5% or above, then both the products are listed here. Efficiency is the only criterion for ranking in the list (whenever available in the specs, we have used 2 digits after the comma for efficiencies, otherwise one). However, as we see more often products with the same efficiency, power determines the order in this case. And when efficiency and even power are the same, we have listed the manufacturers in alphabetical order.

A commercially available module is considered a product for which the complete data sheet is listed on the module producer’s website. The efficiency and power data listed here is taken from the data sheet available on the respective company’s website. This also means that any new product announcements without final technical data published are not included in the list as their module specs often differ considerably from the products that are finally available for purchase, and some products presented at trade fairs do not even see commercial light at all. Finally, we are only listing modules based on in-house produced cells of a respective module manufacturer, which means modules using externally sourced cells are not featured in this TOP MODULES list. If module specs listed on websites seem to have ‘conspicuously’ high efficiencies, we ask for certificates from third-party test institutes among other information before we include a product in the list.

Results & Changes

Meeting these criteria, according to our research (status: first week of November), a total of 54 products from 32 companies have made it to the current list. Compared to last time the number of companies and modules remained the same..

Aiko’s ABC module series remains at the top with an efficiency of 24%, surpassing its own previous high of 23.6%. This change happened in the month of June. Aiko’s ABC module product is rated with up to 620 W power coming from 144 M10 half cells. Aiko has not specified the exact cell architecture, but it’s based on n-type wafers and characterized as ABC that is also the designation of the module series and stands for All Back Contact. The module efficiency was certified by TÜV SÜD, and the product is also commercially available. Aiko has also provided a list of projects as proof where the module series has been used in commercial-scale installations.

The Hi-MO6 module from LONGi was updated in May – at 23.2%, it has remained unchanged in the No. 2 position. LONGi’s product is based on its proprietary HPBC cell technology, which is essentially a back contact cell architecture. Apart from being top class in efficiency, the new Hi-MO6 module series is powerful too. It reaches up to 600 W in the highest power class. The 144 (6×24) half-cell panel is a single glass (3.2 mm) product with an anodized aluminum alloy frame, measuring 2,278 x 1,134 x 35 mm and a weight of 27.5 kg. The up to 23.2% efficient module comes with a 25-year power warranty with <1.5% power degradation in the first year and an average of 0.40% from years 2 to 25.

Huasun’s HJT module remains at 3^rd place, which is the most prominent change that happened in September. The Himalaya series module from Huasun is based on the G12 wafer size and a 132 half-cell configuration. The module has an efficiency of 23.02% and a power rating of 715 W, which is not only the highest among all listed products but also the first time that a module has surpassed the 700 W benchmark. The module is also bifacial which, along with its high power attribute, makes the product highly compatible to utility-scale applications. Huasun has been promoting this outstanding product for a few months but has only now provided production and shipment numbers, thus confirming commercial availably that has led to the inclusion of the product in our ranking. See Huasun’s Director of Business Development Europe Christian Comes’ presentation on Designing HJT Modules For Various Applications here).

The Maxeon 6 module stands alone at 4^th. This module is built with 66 cells of 166 format, and is designed with white backsheet and a black frame structure. With 23% efficiency, 445 W power and n-type IBC cell technology, it comes with an outstanding performance warranty period of 40 years.

SPIC in our rankings has been remarkable – from position 22 in August to 5^th in September by improving the efficiency of its top product by 0.5% absolute. While the company had been promoting an efficiency of 22.3% till August, it has now commercialized its latest Andromeda 3.0 product series with a top efficiency of 22.8%. The company has also provided the shipment and production data indicating the commercial availability of the product. The module features an elegant full black design combined with TBC cell technology, which is an IBC concept adopted on the TOPCon base cell architecture. The bifacial module, with a bifaciality of 70% and built with 120 half cells, has a power rating of 410 W. SPIC is offering a 30-year power warranty for this product.

JinkoSolar holds the 6^th position with its Tiger Neo TOPCon module JKMN-72HL4-V that is offered with a power rating of 585 W. This module has a 132 half-cell configuration and an efficiency of 22.65% .

Astronergy’s AstroN5 updated in September edition enjoys the 7^th place all alone. The company promotes a product with 22.6% efficiency that is produced and shipped in commercial quantities. The latest variant of the Astro N5 series, like the previous one, is also built with 144 half-cut cells of the 182 mm wafer format. The main difference is that the current variant is bifacial. It now reaches a slightly higher efficiency and a higher power rating of 585 W.

The best module of the early adopter of TOPCon technology, Jolywood, whose products have not undergone any changes technically stays at 8^th. However, in August, its former Niwa Light module was replaced with a bifacial product called Niwa Pro that has the same specifications of 440 W power and 22.53% efficiency.

The next efficiency level of 22.5% is shared by as many as 7 companies ranked 9^th. Risen gets the first mention in the group, which is structured according to power first, and if equal, an alphabetical order is applied.

Risen Energy’s Hyper-ion module, which was included in June, remains unchanged. This HJT module from Risen has an efficiency of 22.5%, corresponding to a very high rated power of 700 W. The product is built with 132 half cells, cut from 210 mm original format, and it’s bifacial. It shares the 9^th rank with 6 other products on the list.

Trina Solar’s Vertex N series has replaced the previous Vertex S+ in the September edition. While both the product groups have the same efficiency, the featuring Vertex N has a high power of 700 W compared to 450 W for  the former, thus the company’s order among the 9^th ranked products (22.5% efficiency) has gone up from last but one to second. The TSM-NEG21C.20 is built with 210 mm wafers and 132 half cut cells. This bifacial module, using a 2 mm glass on both sides, reaches a bifaciality of 80 ± 5%.

DAS Solar’s DAS-DH156NA is also listed on the 9^th position. This n-type TOPcon solar module remained unchanged with 156 half cells and 630 W power.

JA Solar’s TOPCon listing also saw a change in power ratings in the August edition. The JAM72D42 630/LB has a higher power of 630 W compared to the 530 W JAM72D40 580/GB product, but the efficiency has stayed the same at 22.5%, and thus ranked 9^th. It is a bifacial double glass module with a bifaciality of 80 ±10% and is built with 144 half cells of G12 size and 16 busbars, using the G12 wafer format. As to the physical characteristics, the module measures 2,465 x 1134 x 35 mm and weighs 34.6 kg.

Canadian Solar’s TopHiKu6 TOPCon model is yet another module that comes with 22.5% efficiency. The module entered our list in June 2023, replacing a bifacial product, and has 0.2% higher efficiency. CS6W-560-580T has 144 half cells with 182 mm wafer format. Interestingly, one more product from Canadian Solar also shares the 9^th rank. However, this HiHero series, based on HJT, is a smaller module built with 108 G12 wafers in half-cell configuration, thus has a lower rated power of 440 W.

TW Solar’s TOPCon module, which joined the list in April 2023, has remained unchanged since then and is now at 9^th position. The product is designed with a TNC cell type, an anodized aluminum alloy frame and features a linear warranty of 30 years for power output. This product also built with 144 half-cells using the G12 wafer format and has an efficiency of 22.5% and 580 W power.

DMEGC, that entered our listing in June, has not made any changes to its listed products. The company’s TOPCon bifacial module featured here is designed with 144 half cells of 182 mm wafer format that ultimately reaches an efficiency of 22.45% and a corresponding rated power output of 580 W. This earns it a 16^th position which it shares with EgingPV and Qn-Solar.

A product series called STAR Pro that was updated in August is representing EGingPV’s TOPCon range in the list. The top module of the STAR Pro comes with a module efficiency of 22.45%. This bifacial module, built with 182 mm wafer format and 144 half-cells, has a rated power of 580 W. This is module is now ranked 16^th.

Qn-Solar, a Chinese solar cell and module manufacturer, has entered our list in July 2023. Originally a project developer and EPC, the 2014 launched Shanghai-headquartered company also operates its own power plants, and has been recently strongly expanding into the manufacturing field to reach 69 GW cell and 39 GW module capacity in 2023, according to the company’s website. It is promoting TOPCon modules with an efficiency of up to 22.45%. Qn-Solar’s listed bifacial TOPCon product has a rated power of 580 W and is built on the 182-wafer format with 144 half-cells. Qn-Solar is also promoting a PERC module that qualifies with an efficiency of 21.57%, which earns it an inclusion in our current listing at the 43^rd position. That module has an output power of 670 W.

URECO is a manufacturer formed after a merging of the 3 leading cell manufacturers of Taiwan – Neo Solar Power, Gintech and Solartec. The company is offering products based on all 3 mainstream cell technologies – PERC, TOPCon and HJT. While PERC products were already part of our earlier listing, the modules based on the remaining 2 advanced cell technologies were included in our August edition. Named GLORY, the company’s TOPCon series is represented through its FBF580B8D model with an efficiency of 22.45%, which means it shares the 16^th place with the abovementioned products from DMEGC and Qn-Solar. The HJT module of the company, with a rated efficiency of 22.44%, misses the spot with a very narrow gap of 0.01%, putting it 4 ranks down to #20. Called GLORY HELLO, the module is built with 120 half-cells using the 210 mm wafer format and has a power rating of 635 W.

Runergy, which entered our list in July, is another leading Chinese cell vendor that ventured into the module business recently (for background, watch our interview with Runergy CTO Yang Yang). The 2 product streams of Runergy, based on TOPCon and PERC cell technologies, were featured in our review for the first time in July. The company’s TOPCon model, HY-DH156N8, is based on 156 half-cells of 182 mm format and MBB layout. It has an efficiency of 22.4% and 625 W output power, which means it ranks 21^st in our listing. However, its PERC module, with 600 W power and 21.5% efficiency is placed 48^th. Another product that shares the 21^st position is a TOPCon module from Suntech with the same efficiency of 22.4%. This bifacial module is built with 182 mm sized 156 half-cells and has a power rating of 625 W. Another product from Suntech featuring since July 2023 has an efficiency of 21.7% and is among the top efficiency products in the PERC category which is now in the 31^st place.

Yingli Solar, one of the early adopters of cell architectures based on n-type wafers, has finally found its way into our listing last month through its PANDA 3.0 PRO, a TOPCon module product. The cells used in this module are made from the in-house 5 GW cell production capacity for TOPCon, while the company has 20 GW capacity for modules including PERC and TOPCon. The listed module is built with 156 half cells of the 210 mm wafer format. The bifacial module interconnected with MBB technology has an efficiency of 22.36% and a power output of 625W. This module is at 23^rd position, while another module from Yingli ranks 43^rd in the PERC category.

Part of the vertically integrated GCL Group, which owns the largest silicon production capacity in the solar industry, GCL Integration (GCL-Si) is offering solar modules and battery storage products as well as full PV project solutions (for details on GCL Group, watch our interview with Group Chairman Gongshan Zhu). In the July edition, we included 2 module products from GCL-Si. The GCL GEMINI, representing the TOPCon range of the company, has an efficiency of 22.3% and power output of 575 W. The bifacial n-type module is designed with 144 half-cut cells based on the 182 mm wafer format – and shares the 24^th rank with REC.

REC’s top HJT module offered commercially hasn’t seen any change as of early September. The Singapore based manufacturer’s Alpha Pure-R series HJT product is available with an unaltered efficiency of up to 22.3% and 430 W module power.

Akcome stands at the 26^th position. The company’s Ak ipower HJT module has an efficiency of 22.22%. This PV panel is built with 132 half-cells based on the 210 mm wafer size and reaches a rated power of 690 W. Akcome also promotes a 560 W and 21.68% efficiency bifacial PERC module built with 144 half-cells sliced from M10 cells. This PERC product shares the 37^th rank with JinkoSolar’s Tiger Pro PERC module that has the same efficiency.

CECEP Solar Technology Zhenjiang is a Chinese cell and module producer founded in 2010 that operates around 4 GW cell and 8 GW module capacity, according to its website. CECEP’s first time featuring TOPCon product is a High Efficiency series bifacial solar module made with 144 half cells based on M10 n-type wafers. The product is rated with an efficiency of 22.1% and power output of 570 W. This module ranks 27^th.

SolarSpace belongs to the category of leading cell manufacturers venturing into module making. The company, offering both PERC and TOPCon products, entered our rankings in July. Its Lumina II based TOPCon cell technology panel of 430 W is built with 108 half cells based on the 182 mm wafer format and has an efficiency of 22.02%, positioning it at rank 28. Lumina I from SolarSpace is a PERC module with 21.57% efficiency and is one among 7 products sharing the 43^rd rank on the list.

The remaining 26 products listed are below 22%, of which 2 are based on HJT while the bulk are PERC modules.

Jinergy’s HJT module was updated in September and retains its 29^th position. Its efficiency of 21.85%is 0.17 percentage points higher than the previously listed product.. Not just efficiency, the JNHM144-475 is a larger module built with 144 cells, and it also has a higher power rating of 475 W. It is bifacial too, with bifaciality exceeding 85%.

As previously, Meyer Burger is offering its HJT product with the same efficiency of 21.8% and power rating of 390 W, now listed at the 30^th position.

There are several module series with efficiencies slightly exceeding 21.5% available today, as high efficiency cell architectures are not a must to reach that level, but in order to design products today beyond 21.7%, the cell technology is key.

As shown in our TOP SOLAR MODULES H1-2023 overview report, PERC in general was not able to support efficiencies above 21.6% until the end of last year. At the time, modules with efficiencies above 21.6% were generally employing cells based on high-efficiency cell architectures such as IBC, TOPCon or HJT.

But as of recently, we have observed an increase in the number of companies reaching module efficiencies up to 21.7% with PERC. Until November 2022, LONGi and Risen were in this group; then, in January, Canadian Solar joined the list; TW Solar joined in February; DAS Solar entered in April; and in July, Suntech joined the list of 21.7% efficient PERC modules – and all of them are ranked #31. Following the order of rated power, the third module of Canadian Solar in this list, the HiKu7, is based on the 132 half-cell configuration with 210 mm wafer size and a rated power of 675 W. Risen Energy’s TITAN module is built with 132 half cells of the 210 mm wafer format for a rated power of 675 W. LONGi’s HiMO5m module is built with 144 cells of 182 mm cell size and 560 W power. Suntech’s Ultra V module has a design of 144 half cells of the 182 mm wafer format. It has a rated power output of 560 W. TW Solar, which was listing a 21.5% efficiency product until February, has come up with a 21.7% product that reaches a power output of 430 W. Like its predecessor, this product is also based on shingled interconnection technology, stripping cells into 5 and a total of 61 cells are used to build this shingled module.

If rounded, the next 2 would also reach 21.7%, but the companies – Akcome and Jinko – chose not to do so in their spec sheets. JinkoSolar’s Tiger Pro is a module with 21.68% efficiency based on a 144-cell configuration, resulting in a rated output of 560 W. Akcome has a bifacial product with the same number of cells, cell format and output of Jinko. Thus, the 2 products now share the 37^th rank.

Of the remaining 16 PERC products, 4 reach 21.6% efficiency, one more than the previous month, holding the 39^th position. 3 products from this group – GCL-Si, Talesun and Trina Solar – have the same power rating of 670 W owing to the same cell count of 132 half cells of G12 size. JA Solar’s DeepBlue 3.0, built with M10 sized 156 half cells, has a lower power rating of 605 W. While listed lower, it is ranked the same at 39^th.

The next 7 products rated with 21.57% efficiency share the 43^rd rank, of which 3 are from Qn-Solar, SolarSpace and URECO that all entered our list in July, while Jinergy, Seraphim and Yingli are the other 3. ZNShine’s PERC module is a new member of this group. The company has a total capacity of 10 GW. The product also leverages bifacial capabilities, half-cell design, and MBB technology. Similar to the other 6 products listed with 21.7% efficiency, this module also has same rated power of 670 W. All these products are built with 132 half cells of the 210 mm wafer format. EgingPV’s PERC product is the lone beholder of the 50^th rank with an efficiency of 21.56%, but the power rating of 670 W is the same as the products from the group above. The lowest efficiency of 21.5%, which is also the minimum clarification criteria to be included in this list, is represented by 4 products at rank 51. These products are offered by Runergy, Q CELLS, Astronergy and CECEP sharing this position.

Summary

TaiyangNews latest Top solar modules list as of November 2023 comprises of 54 products from 32 companies. Aiko Solar leads with its ABC module of 24% efficiency, while LONGi Solar secures the second spot with its Hi-MO6 module at 23.2% efficiency. Huasun’s HJT module holds the third position with 23.02% efficiency and remarkable 715 W power.

2 TOPCon modules and one PERC were the latest updates included in our previous edition. Of these, both the TOPCon products are from companies – Yingli and CECEP – that were part of the previous listing, but only as PERC promoters, while ZNShine is an altogether new entrant with a PERC module. Yingli Solar’s PANDA 3.0 PRO module has an efficiency of 23.36% and 625 W power and holds the 23^rd position, while CECEP High Efficiency series TOPCon module is a new entry with 22.1% efficiency and 570 W power that stands at the 27^th position. ZNShine’s PERC product entered the list with 21.57% efficiency and ranked 43^rd. Overall, more and more number of companies are focusing on commercializing module products based on the TOPCon cell architecture.

Report: If you want to learn more about commercial module efficiencies of integrated module producers, please check our TOP SOLAR MODULES H1/2023 report. Here we have looked at the monthly columns for the last 18 months of this ranking – with a focus on H1/2023 – and analyzed the trends and developments for the different cell technologies (PERC; TOPCon, HJT, Back Contact) and listed companies (free download of TOP SOLAR MODULES H1/2023 report here).

PS: If you have spotted a solar module somewhere that meets our criteria and missing in this list, please do send us the website link with the product specs to [email protected].

Disclaimer: TaiyangNews does not guarantee reliability, accuracy or completeness of this TOP SOLAR MODULES Listings content. TaiyangNews does not accept responsibility or liability for any errors in this work.