- The PV industry has transitioned towards n-type technology evolution in pursuit of higher energy efficiency as the dominant technology.
- Both the foundation technology of TOPCon and the process technology XBC (back contact) provide chances of lowering LCOE.
- Market leading solar module manufacturer, JinkoSolar, has published a white paper that demonstrate it’s TOPCon solae panel technology offers superior power yield compared to back-contact (BC) panel technologies.
JinkoSolar’s testing took place at its facility in Kagoshima, Japan, from Sept. 12 to Oct. 11, with the results confirmed by Germany’s TÜV Nord. Jinko chose three modules for LCOE economic analysis of a real 100MW utility project recently bid in north-western China namely; a 575 W dual-glass n-type TOPCon module from JinkoSolar, a 580 W dual-glass p-type back-contact (BC) module, and a 605 W single-glass n-type BC module. The identities of the two BC module manufacturers were not disclosed. All modules were installed at a 20-degree tilt angle and 1 meter above the ground.
Using a CR1000X system, JinkoSolar’s experts found that the TOPCon module generated 136.86 kWh/kW, while the p-type BC produced 133.87 kWh/kW and the n-type BC yielded 129.98 kWh/kW.
“Thanks to its higher bifaciality and lower temperature coefficient, when normalized based on each module power rating, the module achieved a yield 2.22% higher than p-type BC and 5.29% higher than n-type BC,” JinkoSolar said. “In sunny and cloudy days during the period, TOPCon modules energy yield consistently remains 2% to 3% higher than p-type BC modules and 5% to 6% higher than n-type BC modules.”
The TOPCon module reportedly achieved the highest performance ratio among the three products. “TÜV Nord measured a 94.19% performance ratio for the TOPCon module, with the other two trailing slightly behind, 91.99% for p-type BC and 89.29% for n-type BC,” the white said.
Link to the the white paper HERE: Jinko test – White Paper
Author: Emiliano Bellini
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
