For Solar Cell Makers, TOPCon Is More Viable Than HJT: Bharat Bhut, Goldi Solar

For PV Module Makers, TOPCon Is More Viable Than HJT: Bharat Bhut, Goldi Solar

With the advent of new and advanced solar cell technologies globally, different solar module and solar cell manufacturers have jumped onto the bandwagon to introduce more efficient technologies. With TOPCon and Heterojunction Technology (HJT) competing over their average effectiveness, Indian solar cell manufacturers find TOPCon more commercially viable for solar cell manufacturers compared to HJT technology. 

In an exclusive interview with Saur Energy, Bharat Bhut, Co-founder and Director of Goldi Solar, said that for the solar cell makers, TOPCon is often commercially more viable than HJT for several reasons, including capital costs. 

“The average efficiency of HJT is around 25%, and for TOPCOn, it is 24.5%. So, the difference is merely 0.5%. On the other hand, TOPCOn is more commercially viable for solar cell makers. The adoption of TOPCOn from Mono PERC is also easier. Meanwhile, from a manufacturer’s perspective, if you want to adopt HJT, you have to invest 80 percent in new CAPEX. So, it makes sense to have a TOPCon technology over HJT for solar cell manufacturing. And that is why I think the adoption of HJT will be delayed,” Bhut told Saur Energy. 

The solar cell manufacturer said TOPCon would be manufactured and shipped in the next quarter in India or globally. “By next mid-year, more than 50 percent solar cell products made in India and globally will be TOPCon,” he added. 

Last year, the Surat-based solar PV cell maker announced its mid-term plans of 6GW of module manufacturing and 5GW of solar cell manufacturing by 2025. It claims that the works are on track. “We are on track. Our capacity will be 4GW by December this year. So we are going as per our plan,” Bhut said. 

When asked if the solar module manufacturing plans of the United States (US) and Europe could deter Indian solar manufacturing exports, the entrepreneur said that it would take a longer time. 

“Their manufacturing and scaling will take place. Manufacturing is not confined to the deployment of cells and wafers alone. It is about the deployment of a complete ecosystem. After 10 years, we can see a developed ecosystem. We have almost all the raw materials produced in India for solar module manufacturing, but it took time. It was almost after a decade that we were able to reach this scale and value chain. So, it is a bright chance for Indian manufacturers to continue exports to Europe and the US,” he said. 

Talking about the fate of other states in terms of higher deployment of solar panels, Bhut said that besides the renewable-rich states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, southern Indian states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and others have emerged as the new hotspots for solar panel demands for its increasing utility-scale and other solar projects.