Trina Solar, JinkoSolar, JA Solar, Longi, Risen, Canadian Solar, Tongwei, Astronergy, and Das Solar have jointly called for the standardization of rectangular wafers to address supply issues, reduce material wastage, and enhance product applications in various markets.
Trina Solar, JinkoSolar, JA Solar, Longi, Risen, Canadian Solar, Tongwei, Chint, and Das Solar have issued a joint statement demanding the standardization of wafer sizes.
Increasing wafer area improves module efficiency and reduces balance of system (BOS) costs and the overall levelized cost of energy for solar. Initially, vertically integrated companies with wafer production capacity adjusted wafer formats to achieve the highest module output.
Differences in wafer and module specifications, which have bedevilled solar developers in recent years, could now be narrowing. The diversity of wafer formats available can cause headaches for solar manufacturers and developers. Image: RENA Technologies From pv magazine 07-08/23
The resulting myriad of wafer formats brings chaos and inconvenience to the PV industry. Non-vertically integrated companies selling or buying customized wafers are having a hard time. Wafer makers have to negotiate orders for rectangular wafers in each format, while cell and module makers struggle to sell leftover customized products.
Time to 2019, M6 (166mm x 166mm) p-Type mono wafers (223mm diameter silicon ingot) was lauched. The 6” format M2 (156.75mm x 156.75mm) was expected to be placed by G1 and M6. In the same period of 2019, M12 (G12) M10 M9 were launched and would be industralized in year 2020. 1 Type Of Monocrystalline Silicon Solar wafer Note: L= length; D=Diameter