The solar cell type, design, and configuration all impact panel efficiency, with the N-type back-contact (IBC) cells being the most efficient. Until mid-2024, SunPower, now known as Maxeon, was still in the top spot with the new Maxeon 7 series.
However, the latest panels from REC, Longi, Huasun, Panasonic, Trina and Canadian Solar utilise very efficient N-type heterojunction (HJT) and TOPCon cells. Panels featuring HJT cells offer an extremely low power temperature co-efficient, which means they can outperform even IBC cells under certain conditions.
The SunPower P series is the most cost-effective panel in the SunPower range designed primarily for large scale applications. Other well-known manufacturers producing shingled cell solar panels include Hyundai, Yingli Solar and ZNshine.
10. Conclusions Silicon solar cells, which currently dominate the solar energy industry, are lauded for their exceptional efficiency and robust stability. These cells are the product of decades of research and development, leading to their widespread adoption in different solar applications.
The tested cells achieved an up to 30.2% conversion efficiency pre-irradiation and 25.4% post-irradiation, with a remarkable power-to-mass ratio reaching 3.0 W/g, marking significant advancements in solar cell technology.
Solar cells that combine traditional silicon with cutting-edge perovskites could push the efficiency of solar panels to new heights. Beyond Silicon, Caelux, First Solar, Hanwha Q Cells, Oxford PV, Swift Solar, Tandem PV 3 to 5 years In November 2023, a buzzy solar technology broke yet another world record for efficiency.