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The continuous progress of the photovoltaic industry depends on the reduction of the cost of electricity and the improvement of efficiency. Today, the next generation of battery technology is rapidly emerging. Among the many battery technologies, BC batteries are widely recognized by the industry for their significant efficiency advantages.
The mainstream PV technologies currently on the market include PERC, TOPCon and HJT.
PERC cells are nearing their limits in efficiency and cost reductions are slowing, and the industry is gradually shifting its focus to other technologies.
Among the many new technologies, BC batteries stand out with their unique structure and advantages.
Pay attention to Leqing's industry observation and gain insight into the industrial pattern!
BC Battery Industry Overview
Since its inception in 1975, the concept of back contact (BC) has evolved and improved and is now recognized as the main path for high-efficiency photovoltaic cell technology. Its main advantage is to improve the light conversion efficiency, because the front of the BC structure is not blocked by grid lines, which increases the light-receiving area and improves the utilization rate of incident light. This has allowed BC to maintain a clear advantage in conversion efficiency for nearly 50 years.
In addition, the BC structural components can also be colored, which also makes them more suitable for diversified building scenarios, especially for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV), which has a good application prospect.
Real picture of BC battery delivery project:
Source: Company Interim Report
The emitter, surface field, and metal electrodes are all designed on the back side and distributed in a cross-finger manner, so as to maximize the use of incident light, reduce optical loss, and bring more effective power generation area.
In addition, BC cells have significant advantages in conversion efficiency, and compared with other technical routes, their mass production efficiency and theoretical efficiency are in a leading position, and their module efficiency is also ahead of other technologies.
Comparison of BC battery with traditional battery:
At present, BC battery technology has developed to a new generation, and has formed three main technical routes: the classic IBC battery process represented by SunPower, the POLO-IBC battery process represented by ISFH, and the HBC battery process represented by Kaneka (i.e., IBC-SHJ).
While facing competitive pressure, traditional IBC technology is also constantly seeking innovation and breakthroughs. By absorbing TOPCon process technology, TBC cells have improved mass production efficiency and enhanced market competitiveness. The HBC cell technology achieves higher conversion efficiency by incorporating the passivation technology of amorphous silicon, opening up a new path for the future development of BC cells.
At present, although classic IBC cells can obtain a certain efficiency premium, it is difficult to cover the increased cost, resulting in the gradual weakening of the competitiveness of this process route. As a result, the industry has turned its attention to the more promising TBC and HBC battery technologies.
BC battery forms three major technical routes:
Data source: Pule Technology
In terms of process compatibility, the BC process is an open and highly scalable process, which can be combined with TOPCon, HJT and other processes to further optimize the passivation structure and continuously improve the conversion efficiency of the battery while making full use of the front side.
For example, HBC combines the advantages of IBC and HJT to fabricate interdigitively contact heterojunction solar cells with excellent passivation effect and low temperature coefficient on N-type silicon wafers.
TBC combines the high short-circuit current of IBC with the excellent passivation contact characteristics of TOPCon, and improves the conversion efficiency through a good passivation structure.
PSC IBC combines IBC with perovskite to achieve complementary absorption spectra, thereby improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency.
BC batteries with different stacking methods:
BC battery market competition pattern and leading combing
In 2004, SunPower first announced the fabrication of a large-area (149 cm2) high-efficiency (21.5%) IBC (i.e. Interdigitated back-contact) cell.
In 2022, Aiko Co., Ltd. will be the first company in the world to launch ABC (i.e., Allback-contact) battery modules.
In September 2023, LONGi Green Energy announced that a large number of the company's products will move towards the BC battery technology route. It is expected that in the next 5 to 6 years, BC cells will become the absolute mainstream of crystalline silicon cells.
In 2022, more than 1GW of BC modules were shipped globally, with Maxeon being a major contributor.
Maxeon has been rolling out the IBC platform for more than 30 years and has launched 7 generations of technology, with more than 1GW of IBC capacity and plans to add 500MW of cell capacity in the Philippines.
LONGi Green Energy has invested in the construction of HPBC cell production capacity with an annual output of 30GW, which is expected to reach full production in 24Q1, and the new production capacity in the future will also focus on BC cell technology.
In addition, the mass production efficiency of the standard version of HPBC cells released by LONGi Green Energy has exceeded 25%, and the efficiency of the PRO version with hydrogen passivation technology can exceed 25.3%.
The average mass production conversion efficiency of Aiko's new ABC battery has reached 25.5%, and it is expected to achieve more than 27% in the future. Aiko has also made significant progress in the ABC project, with the 6.5GW project in Zhuhai fully put into operation, and actively promoting the construction of 15GW in Yiwu and 3.5GW in Zhuhai.
With the continuous improvement of mass production conversion efficiency and the launch of applied products, the long-term capacity planning is very impressive, and the production capacity of many manufacturers indicates that industrialization is expected to accelerate.
At present, a number of companies, including Jinko, Trina, Junda, Yiyi, Jinyang Energy, etc., have also deployed or reserved BC technology. #PV##Photovoltaic Cell##New Energy##Article Launch Challenge##Financial New Power##太阳能#
Production of BC batteries of leading manufacturers:
Source: LONGi Green Energy press conference, Aiko shares press conference, company announcement, Huaan Securities
epilogue
The photovoltaic industry is in a period of rapid development and change, and BC cells, as an emerging technological force, are expected to accelerate the development of the industry in the future.
As a platform technology, BC technology has superior extensibility, and the combination with BC technology is also one of the ways to improve the efficiency of TOPCon and HJT, which is expected to further integrate to form TBC and HBC cells, and is expected to continue to develop to perovskite tandem technology.
On the whole, the application and extension space of BC technology is very broad, and the leading enterprises that take the lead in the layout will have deep competitive barriers. With the continuous expansion of BC batteries, the industry is expected to usher in a new round of development opportunities
Pay attention to Leqing's industry observation and gain insight into the industrial pattern!