TOPCon Cell Technology: Things to Know About the Next ...

Technological advancements in solar cell technology have played a pivotal role in improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar energy. With the PERC cell having reached its limits, one such innovation that has gained significant attention in recent years is TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) cell technology.

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In this blog post, we will explore what TOPCon cell technology is, its advantages over PERC cells, and its current and projected market share.

Benefits of TOPCon Technology

Some notable benefits of this new cell technology include:

Adaptability to the existing manufacturing process

One of the key benefits of TOPCon cells lies in their seamless integration with the current manufacturing infrastructure. As TOPCon cells can be produced using similar equipment as PERC cells, the transition to this new technology from existing PERC production lines is smooth and cost-effective. A slight increase in cost allows for easy upgrading to TOPCon solar cells, making it a viable and efficient option for manufacturers.

Higher efficiency

TOPCon cells reach an efficiency of around 28%, which is significantly higher than the efficiency of PERC cells, which is typically around 22%.

RenewSys N-type TOPCon modules

Enhanced low-light performance

TOPCon cells exhibit higher efficiency in low-light conditions, enabling them to generate electricity even when sunlight is limited.

Better performance in a hot climate

TOPCon panels have a lower temperature coefficient, usually < (-)0.30 %/°C. This results in less power reduction with every degree rise in temperature, allowing TOPCon panels to outperform mono PERC panels in hot climates by generating more power.

Increased energy generation

When compared to PERC modules, TOPCon modules demonstrate significantly lower power degradation both within the first year and over their extended 25 to 30-year lifespan. As a result, TOPCon panels consistently produce more energy throughout their operational lifetime.

Improved bifaciality

TOPCon cells have a higher bifaciality than PERC cells, generally 80-85%, which means they can generate more electricity from the rear side of the cell. This is important for solar panels that are installed in bifacial configurations.

What is TOPCon Solar Cell Technology?

TOPCon cells are a type of n-type solar cell. N-type cells are made with a semiconductor material that has been doped with phosphorus, which gives the material a negative charge. This type of cell has several advantages over p-type cells, including higher efficiency and better performance in low-light conditions.

TOPCon cell technology is a further development of PERC technology. In PERC cells, the rear surface of the solar cell is passivated with a thin layer of aluminium oxide (Al2O3). This layer helps to reduce recombination losses, which can improve the efficiency of the cell.

TOPCon Cell Structure

In TOPCon cells, a thin layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) is deposited on top of the Al2O3 layer. This layer creates a tunnelling junction, which allows electrons to flow more easily from the p-type emitter to the n-type substrate. This tunnelling junction helps improve the efficiency of the cell by reducing the series resistance.

TOPCon cells are generally n-type. N-type cells are made with a semiconductor material that has been doped with phosphorus, which gives the material a negative charge. This type of cell has several advantages over p-type cells, including higher efficiency and better performance in low-light conditions.

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Current and Estimated Market S

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Currently, TOPCon cells hold a relatively small market share, but it is growing rapidly. In , TOPCon cells accounted for about 10% of the global solar cell market. However, TOPCon is expected to become the dominant cell concept after and is estimated to reach a market share of around 60% by , according to the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV), April edition.

Data credits:

RenewSys R&D

International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV), April edition

Image credits:

RenewSys

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is TOPCon Solar Cel
3. How is the TOPCon Solar Cell structured
4. The advantages of TOPCon Solar Panel
5. Real data analysis: TOPCon Solar Panel vs PERC Solar Panel
6. Conclusion

 

Introduction

In today's world, we are in a crucial period of transition from traditional energy sources to clean energy. Solar energy, as one of the most promising clean energy sources, has garnered global attention and investment. However, with the continuous advancement and diversification of solar technology, selecting the most suitable solar panels has become increasingly important. Today, we focus on a highly anticipated solar technology: TOPCon solar panel. With its outstanding performance and cost-effectiveness, TOPCon solar panel is becoming the wise choice for those pursuing cost-effectiveness. In this article, we delve into the advantages of TOPCon solar panel, providing you with concrete reasons why they are the cost-effective choice.

What is TOPCon Solar Cell?

The TOPCon cell belongs to the category of n-type solar cells. An n-type cell is fabricated using a semiconductor material doped with phosphorus, imparting a negative charge to the material. Compared to p-type cells, this variant offers numerous benefits such as enhanced efficiency and superior performance under low-light conditions.

How is the TOPCon Solar Cell structured?

The typical components of TOPCon Solar Cell includes:

Anti-reflective coating: Applied on the front side of photovoltaic modules to minimize light losses due to reflection and maximize energy output.

Front contacts: A thin layer of conductive material directly atop the anti-reflective coating, such as silver or aluminum. This layer serves as the positive electrode contact, allowing current to flow out of the module.

N-doped layer: Positioned beneath the front contact, composed of silicon and phosphorus.

P-doped layer: Composed of silicon and boron, sunlight can extract individual electrons from these silicon layers, generating electricity.

Oxide layer: This layer is the hallmark of TOPCon cell, blocking the channels for charge carriers. However, due to tunneling effect, current can overcome the barrier.

Back contacts: Another conductive contact on the backside of multicrystalline silicon, used to collect current and export it from the module. This back contact serves as the negative electrode.

The advantages of TOPCon solar Panel

1.High Efficiency and Performance Stability

TOPCon solar panel utilizes advanced bifacial technology, combining the advantages of N-type cell silicon, resulting in higher photovoltaic conversion efficiency and excellent performance stability. Traditional single-sided solar panels can only absorb sunlight from one side, while TOPCon panel with bifacial technology can also receive scattered and reflected light from the environment on the backside, increasing the efficiency of light utilization. Therefore, under the same illumination conditions, TOPCon panels can generate more electricity. Under foreign object shading conditions, TOPCon panel incurs low damage and hotspot risks. The bifacial double-glass structure provides better protection for internal cell components, reducing pollution and damage from external environmental factors such as dust and rain, thereby extending the lifespan of the panels, ensuring stable power output over long-term use.

2.High Bifaciality

Due to the adoption of a bifacial cell structure and heterojunction design, TOPCon solar cell achieves a bifaciality rate of up to 85%. By introducing efficient cell structures on both sides of the solar cell, the efficiency of light absorption and charge transfer is maximized, thereby increasing the energy output of the entire photovoltaic system. This feature makes TOPCon panel highly applicable in practical applications, especially suitable for scenarios where maximum energy output is required in limited space, such as rooftop solar systems.

3.Strong Environmental Adaptability

TOPCon cells exhibit a low temperature coefficient, ensuring stable power generation even in high-temperature climates. This resilience reduces the adverse effects of heat on system performance. With sunlight absorption capability on both its front and back, TOPCon solar panels maintain high output even in low-light conditions, enhancing overall system performance. Their environmental adaptability enables versatile deployment across wide scenarios.

4.Low Light-Induced Degradation (LID) Characteristics

Thanks to the high phosphorus content and minimal boron presence in TOPCon N-type cells, their unique characteristics mitigate the impact of boron-oxygen pairs, virtually eradicating Light-Induced Degradation (LID) phenomenon under illumination. Consequently, TOPCon solar panels sustain stable performance throughout extended usage, unaffected by degradation due to illumination. This low LID trait renders TOPCon panels a dependable and enduring solar solution, especially fitting for applications demanding consistent long-term performance.

Real data analysis: TOPCon Solar Panel vs PERC Solar Panel

TOPCon solar panel has a higher efficiency than PREC solar panel:

TOPCon solar cells generally have a higher conversion efficiency than PREC cells. For example, the maximum efficiency of MaySun Solar's PREC panels ranges between 21.0% - 22.5%, and the maximum efficiency of TOPCon panels ranges between 22.28% - 22.64%, which is generally higher than that of PREC panels.

TOPCon solar panel works more stable than PREC solar panel:

PERC solar cell have a power decay rate of 2% in the first year, and after 25 years, the power generation capacity is 84.95% of the original capacity. In contrast, TOPCon solar cell, due to the use of N-type cell, have a power decay rate of only 1.5% in the first year, and after 25 years, the power generation capacity can still be maintained at 88.9% of the original capacity, which makes the performance extremely stable.

Modules utilizing N-type cells are more capable of generating electricity under low light conditions such as morning, evening and cloudy days. TOPCon cell is about 0.5-1.0% higher than PERC cell in terms of power generation per watt due to the excellent low-light performance.

The data in the figure comes from actual test data from Maysun Solar.:   

PERC solar cell&#;s bifacial rate is 70%, while TOPCon cell&#;s bifacial rate reaches 85%, marking a significant improvement over PERC solar cell. As mentioned above, a high bifacial rate can maximize the conversion rate of light energy and improve the energy output of the entire PV system.

The data in the figure comes from actual test data from Maysun Solar.

TOPCon solar panel&#;s overall performance is better than PERC solar panel&#;s:

The data in the figure shows that Maysun Solar's TOPCon panel outperform PERC panel under the same conditions. Specifically as follows:

From the data, one year later, PERC solar panel&#;s performance declines by 2%, with an average power decrease of 0.45% after the first year. In contrast, TOPCon solar panel&#;s performance only decreases by 1.5%, with an average power decrease of 0.4% after the first year. TOPCon panel has a temperature coefficient of -0.32%/°C, while PERC has a temperature coefficient of -0.35%/°C. This indicates that for the same conditions, every one-degree Celsius increase in temperature results in a 0.35% power loss for PERC solar panel, while TOPCon solar panel only experiences a 0.32% power loss. The above data illustrates that compared to PERC solar panel, TOPCon solar panel exhibits more stable and efficient performance over time and changing environmental conditions.

Conclusion

In today's solar energy market, we face an important decision: how to balance efficiency, stability, and cost to meet the demand for clean energy. In this regard, TOPCon solar panel provides an answer. Its high efficiency, stability, low cost, and environmental adaptability make it a highly anticipated technology in the solar panel market. It is a rising star in the field of solar panels, with tremendous development prospects. By choosing TOPCon solar panel, we can not only achieve higher energy output and long-term return on investment but also make a positive contribution to environmental protection and sustainable development. Therefore, TOPCon solar panel is undoubtedly a wise choice for those pursuing cost-effectiveness, deserving widespread application and promotion. Maysun Solar's TOPCon products possess all these advantages. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us!

Reference:

Kelly Pickerel() &#;What is TOPCon solar panel technology?&#;, 1 April. https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com//04/what-is-topcon-solar-panel-technology/.

Admin() &#;TOPCON SOLAR CELLS VS MONO PERC SOLAR CELLS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS&#; 14 October.

https://www.novergysolar.com/topcon-vs-perc-vs-hjt-solar-cells/.

Anna Vöpel() &#;TOPCon-Solarzellen: Aufbau, Funktion, Nachteile, Preis&#;, 11 July

https://gruenes.haus/topcon-solarzellen/.

 

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