Trina hits 19.86% aperture efficiency for mc-Si solar module

Researchers at a Trina Solar (NYSE:TSL) laboratory in China have set a new world record of 19.86% aperture efficiency for its multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar module, the company announced today.

The research team at the State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology of China (SKL PVST) achieved the record using a module containing 120 pieces of P-type mc-Si solar cells. It was produced with half-cell interconnection, passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) technology and highly efficient light trapping, Trina said.

The new record, achieved on a module area of 1.514 sq m, was independently verified by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab in Germany. The previous one of 19.14% efficiency was also set by a Trina Solar team in April 2015, on a 1.515-sq-m aperture-area.

"The efficiency of PV modules is one of the key parameters to estimate the final Levelised Cost of solar Electricity (LCOE). This 19.86% aperture efficiency result that Trina Solar achieved demonstrates the huge potential for future multicrystalline p-type silicon research," said Pierre Verlinden, vice president and chief scientist of Trina Solar.

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