Q Cells achieves 19.5% solar module efficiency with multicrystalline cells

Photovoltaic (PV) products maker Hanwha Q Cells Co Ltd (NASDAQ:HQCL) said today it has achieved a 19.5% aperture area module efficiency using multicrystalline cells.

The company pointed out that this is the first time in PV history that multicrystalline solar module with a standard size of 1,670 x 1,000 sq mm surpasses a power output of 300 W, reaching 301 W. The record has been confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.

“Up until now, such values were only reached using monocrystalline silicon and complex processing,” said Joerg Mueller, director of R&D Cells at Hanwha Q Cells.

The prototype that was used, assembled from multi-crystalline Q.ANTUM solar cells with four bus bars, manufactured on the pilot line of the firm's Center for Technology Innovation and Quality in Thalheim, Germany. The module used standard components, identical to what is currently being used in Hanwha Q Cells' mass-scale commercial production lines.

Q.ANTUM technology is an invention of Hanwha Q Cells, with a complex cell architecture based on a rear-side passivation of the solar cell and additional technological features for maximum energy yield.

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