Trina Solar Begins Mass Production of i-TOPCon Bifacial Modules

Trina Solar has begun mass production of N-type i-TOPCon double-glass bifacial modules. The best best module efficiency reaches 20.7%.

Leading global PV and smart energy total solution provider, Trina Solar, recently announced that it has begun mass production of N-type i-TOPCon double-glass bifacial modules. The best front side power output of a module with 144 half-cut i-TOPCon cells reaches 425 Wp, and the best module efficiency reaches 20.7%.

The new i-TOPCon double glass PV modules integrate these N-type bifacial i-TOPCon cells with over 80% bifaciality, multi-busbar (MBB) design, full square monocrystalline cells, dual-side and half-cut technologies. The highly efficient modules feature a lower temperature coefficient and low light-induced degradation (LID), greatly improving the actual power output. They also provide an extra 5% to 30% power generation from their backside and feature a 30- year linear power warranty.

The world record efficiency of 25.8% on small-area, single side TOPCon cells developed by Fraunhofer ISE has driven research and development of passivated contact solar cells by institutes and industry. In 2015, the State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Science and Technology (SKL PVST) of Trina Solar started the research on a large-area bifacial TOPCon cell that is aimed for industrial mass production, naming it i-TOPCon cell. In 2019, Trina Solar achieved a front side median efficiency over 23% on i-TOPCon cells.

The i-TOPCon cell has a front boron emitter and a rear full-area passivating contact. After its development by the SKL PVST, it was transferred into full-scale mass production in a workshop at Trina Solar’s Changzhou factory.

In May 2019, the Chinese manufacturer announced that its SKL PVST had set a new world record of 24.58% for such N-type mono-crystalline silicon (c-Si) i-TOPCon solar cells. This result was independently confirmed by the ISFH CalTeC in Germany with a full-area measurement (244 cm2) including busbars.

“We are very delighted to announce the latest achievement from our research team at the SKL PVST, to the best of our knowledge, this is the new world record for a total area efficiency for a large-area two-side contact silicon solar cell,” Jifan Gao, CEO Trina Solar said at the time. “The excellent R&D results lay a solid foundation for Trina to provide new differentiated high-end PV modules and solutions to our customers.”