Manufacturers of solar cells revisit thin-film technology

Interest in third-generation solar cells picks up again as companies eye mobile energy applications.

Thin-film technology has been on mainland China's agenda for the solar cell manufacturing industry for the past two years after being sidelined by makers' R&D shift to the monocrystalline type. Compared with the latter and the widely produced polycrystalline kind, releases based on it can ensure higher efficiency, which reaches 17 percent. In addition, these are superthin and feature greater flexibility to suit a range of applications and will become hot particularly in mobile energy products.

One local company that has ventured into this third-generation variant is Hanergy, which developed advanced thin-film solar cells with efficiency of up to 17.5 percent, and has 18.5 percent as next target.

Manufacturers will also continue to work on improving product performance by exploring new materials.

At present, output will remain dominated by monocrystalline and polycrystalline variants as both are priced lower than thin-film units.

Overall, the line will continue to expand in terms of R&D, fueled by increasing demand for environment-friendly and renewable energy solutions. So far, there have been breakthroughs that meet the upgrades in electric vehicles, portable electronics, and power generation systems in residential, commercial and industrial applications. More are expected in coming years.

The worldwide solar cell industry has been on the upswing, with projected CAGR of 16 percent between 2016 and 2020, according to Technavio.

In the mainland, the sector will have 15 to 20 percent annual increase in sales through 2020, with solar vehicles and power generation the growth catalysts.

Mobile energy products, according to the China New Energy Research Institute, will open up a global market in the scale of $723 billion by 2020.

With such prospects, most local makers of solar cells have been raising production volume by 10 to 20 percent and will continue to do so in one or two years.

Fujian King has invested $0.38 billion to install 10 solar cell production lines in Putian, Fujian province. Once in place, its annual capacity will reach 1GW. Zhejiang TTN Electric Co. Ltd boosted its output by 50 percent in past months and will keep it up in 2018.

There will be an influx of new players to the line as well. There are about 200 manufacturers in the mainland at present. Half of them are homegrown operations and the rest with foreign investment, mostly from Taiwan. The key local industry leaders include Yingli Solar, Hanergy, Trinasolar, JinKo Solarand Suntech.

Many of these companies are also engaged in the production of solar panels and modules.

The major manufacturing bases there are in the cities of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Changzhou and Suzhou in Jiangsu, Shangrao in Jiangxi and Baoding in Hebei.

The largest production hub for the line, the mainland is responsible for more than 60 percent of worldwide shipments. Products are exported to Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa.

Mainstream selection

Polycrystalline solar cells lead local supply, but monocrystalline types have become popular because of a narrower price gap with the former.

Products come in sizes of 125x125mm and 156x156mm and measure 180 or 200µm in thickness. Thin-film units are 1µm. The rest of the specifications are based on custom requirements.

Joolpower International Ltd's Mono 156 270W solar cell has efficiency of 17.9 percent. Model MS-P156 polycrystalline solar cell from Macsun Solar Energy Technology Co. Ltd boasts between 17 and 18.6 percent efficiency.

Makers ensure their releases comply with CE, IEC, RoHS and UL guidelines.

The key components and materials used in the production of solar cells include wafers, silver paste and aluminum. Most companies use locally available inputs. Others source silver paste from foreign providers such as DuPont.

The majority of suppliers expect costs to stabilize in 2018 and help them keep prices unchanged for added competitiveness. In the past year, many raised quotes due to the hike in outlay for materials.

The products in this gallery have been handpicked by our China-based market analyst for representing current trends in solar cells from China makers.

270W monocrystalline solar cell

Joolpower International Ltd's Mono 156 270W solar cell has maximum power voltage and current of 31.5V and 8.36A. Efficiency is 17.9 percent. The unit operates in -40 to 85 C.

The required minimum order is 100 units for delivery within 15 days.

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4.14 to 4.53W polycrystalline solar cell

The MS-P156 model from Macsun Solar Energy Technology Co. Ltd is a polycrystalline solar cell with peak power of 4.14 to 4.53W, maximum voltage ranging from 0.526 to 0.547V and maximum current of 7.866 to 8.276A. Its efficiency is 17 to 18.6 percent.

The 156x156mm product has a blue anti-reflective coating and an aluminum back surface field.

The minimum order is 100 units. Delivery lead time is 15 days.

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340W monocrystalline solar cell

From Shenzhen Juguangneng Science & Technology Co. Ltd, model JGN-340W-M monocrystalline solar cell has 340W peak power, 43.2V maximum power voltage and 9.44A maximum power current. Its short-circuit current is 10.5A. The product supports an operating temperature of -40 to 85 C. It complies with CE, IEC 61215 and RoHS requirements.

The minimum order quantity is negotiable. Delivery is within 7 days.

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300W monocrystalline solar cell

Zhejiang TTN Electric Co. Ltd offers TTN_M300 model, a monocrystalline solar cell with 300W power and 220V output voltage. The unit measures 156x156mm. It bears CE and TÜV approval.

An order of at least 50 units is required. Delivery takes 15 days.

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