US-Based wafer producer 1366 Technologies’ partnership with Hanwha Q CELLS has reached another milestone in cell conversion efficiency in just 3 months. This time, they achieved cell conversion efficiencies of 19.9%, up 0.3 percentage point from December last year.
According to Hanwha Q CELLS and PV-Tech, a US media outlet covering news on the international solar PV supply chain, 1366 Technologies achieved a record 19.9% efficiency using Direct Wafer® and Hanwha Q CELLS’ Q.ANTUM cell technology. The efficiency milestone was independently confirmed by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab and Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.
The conversion efficiency of a solar cell refers to the percentage of energy in the form of sunlight that can be converted via photovoltaics into usable electrical energy.
Hanwha’s Q.ANTUM technology is based on PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Contact) cell technology, providing mono-crystalline efficiency for even multicrystalline module cells. The aluminum rear contact of every Q.ANTUM module reflects every ray upwards allowing it to be recycled.
Hanwha achieved a 19.5% efficiency using its Q.ANTUM technology in June last year. In December last year, 1366 Technologies’ partnership with Hanwha resulted in a conversion efficiency of 19.6%. The conversion efficiency of currently available solar cells ranges from 18% - 20%.