technology
TOPCon Technology
Production of photovoltaic cells
Innovation
new method of pv cells metalisation
GigaPV aims to decrease the cost of the TOPCon technology by reducing the consumption of silver – the material for the front and bottom electrodes. The creation of electrodes (metallization) accounts for almost 60% of the cost of making a solar cell. Giga PV proposes to reduce this cost by changing the metallization process to electroplating (replacing the final processes related to screen printing and annealing with galvanic technology). During this project, we will upgrade our line to fully commercialize this approach and increase the plating-TOPCon TRL from 6 to 9. By optimizing the process parameters and using adapted production machines, we can achieve a solar cell with a record 26% efficiency produced on an industrial scale. This solution will reduce the production cost of the TOPCon solar cell by 25%.
As already demonstrated at the laboratory level by Fraunhofer ISE, electroplating can reduce TOPCon solar cell production costs by 7.3 ct/plate and silver consumption by 19.7 tonnes/Gigawatt, as well as improve solar cell efficiency. However, no one has been able to bring these results to an industrial scale so far, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no commercial production line for photovoltaic cells based on the plating process.
If you are interested in cooperation in the area of R&D, please contact Dr. Eng. Konrad Wiśniewski (kwisniewski@giga-pv.pl), who is responsible for technology development at Giga PV.
Technological Partner
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
The technological partner of the project of GIGA PV S.A. is Fraunhofer ISE. The institute was founded in 1981. It is the largest institute in Europe dealing with renewable energy, including in particular photovoltaic technology. It employs a total of over 1,300 employees, of which over 400 work in the area of silicon photovoltaic technology. The Technology Assessment Center (TEC) and research laboratory for the entire PV value chain (Eta-LAB, SIM-TEC, PV-TEC, Module-TEC) is the world’s largest non-commercial research and development laboratory for photovoltaic technology. It covers the entire process chain for standard and advanced processing and offers unique opportunities for research and development at the level of industrial pilot plants. The photovoltaic laboratory can operate between standard pilot processes (usually in the range of 100 wafers per day) and industrial throughput of up to 1000 wafers/hour. For future developments in the c-Si value chain, Fraunhofer ISE is collaborating with most major technology providers in publicly funded and bilateral projects. Fraunhofer ISE is particularly focused on the development and implementation of highly efficient solar cell concepts and processes, including TOPCon and silicon-based tandem cells.
Fraunhofer ISE holds numerous efficiency records for fabricated crystalline silicon wafer solar cells, including a world record for double-contact mono-Si. TOPCon cell based on passivated contacts (efficiency 26%, laboratory scale) and monolithic Tandem III-V/Si (efficiency 35.9%, laboratory scale). Based on this collaboration, Fraunhofer ISE has been collecting relevant cost data across Europe for the entire value chain for more than 15 years. During this time, a sophisticated cost analysis tool (‘SCost’) was developed that covers the entire value chain and allows comparison of different technology options as well as calculations up to system level LCOE. In cooperation with the VDE Testing and Certification Institute in Offenbach, Fraunhofer ISE has been operating the “TestLab” accredited laboratory for photovoltaic modules in Freiburg since 2006, using innovative test equipment accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025 to guarantee the highest accuracy of test results. And CalLab PV Modules’ internal partner laboratory provides accredited calibration for power measurements with a world-leading measurement uncertainty of 1.6%. For many years, with its experience, Fraunhofer ISE contributes to the standardization of procedures for the reliability of photovoltaic modules, and also participates in the revision of new standards. In addition, the concept of pre-certification testing is being introduced as a time- and cost-saving approach, especially for PV producers who are new to the PV market or want to start up with technically innovative new module designs or PV cell manufacturing technologies.
More: Fraunhofer ISE web page