Global PV powerhouse LONGi has announced a groundbreaking achievement in photovoltaic technology, with its crystalline silicon solar cells surpassing the 27% efficiency mark for the first time.

This significant milestone was detailed in a recent paper published in the renowned journal Nature, titled “Silicon heterojunction back contact solar cells by laser patterning.” The results highlight the potential of back-contact (BC) solar cells to deliver both high efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The innovation was driven by LONGi’s Central R&D Institute, which focused on advanced research in silicon wafers and passivation technology.

Their development of a dense heterojunction passivation contact has successfully overcome previous thermal limitations in the preparation of heterojunction cells.

The new process features a fully laser-patterned structure and a low-indium, silver-free metallization approach, enhancing both efficiency and economic viability for future BC solar cell production.

This achievement follows a previous announcement in May, when LONGi’s heterojunction back-contact (HBC) solar cells reached an efficiency of 27.30%, setting a new world record for monocrystalline silicon cells.

This surpassed the earlier record of 27.09% set in December 2023, reinforcing LONGi’s position as a leader in high-efficiency solar technology.

Historically, the evolution of crystalline silicon solar cells has included significant technological advancements, from Al-BSF cells with efficiencies below 20%, to PERC cells reaching up to 25%, and TOPCon technology breaking the 25% barrier.

With the introduction of BC technology, LONGi aims to lead the next phase of mass production with efficiencies exceeding 26%, combining heterojunction technology with a BC structure to push efficiency even higher.

LONGi’s commitment to innovation is underscored by this being the third publication in Nature by their Central R&D Institute since 2024, following earlier records in flexible silicon heterojunction and perovskite/crystalline silicon tandem cell efficiencies.

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