Zhang Yingbin, Head of Global Product Strategy at Trina Solar, speaks pv magazine from road to supply chain dominated by n-type TOPCon products. He says Trina Solar will reach 30 GW of TOPCon solar module capacity by the end of 2023.
Zhang Yingbin: The 210+N series products have excellent features such as low temperature coefficient, low photovoltaic attenuation, high bifacial speed, low first-year attenuation and linear attenuation, and also have the advantages of high power, high efficiency and high. power output and high reliability of the Vertex family, whose module power is 30 W to 70 W higher than n-type competitors on the market.
Improving efficiency and reducing costs are eternal themes and relentless pursuits throughout the solar industry. Trina Solar led the 600W-plus alliance, which has established a strong industrial chain alliance with high power, high conversion efficiency, high reliability and low electricity price. Although the combination of 210 mm disc and n-type cell technology is an amplifier for the module’s performance. Compared to 182 mm disc products, each panel generates 70 W more power and the efficiency is about 0.2% higher. At the same time, the low voltage design can increase the string power with the same string voltage.
Regarding electricity production, according to our verification study that lasted more than half a year at TUV and CPVT in different latitude areas, experimental data has shown that a 600 W plus product based on a 210 mm disc can increase the profit of electricity production by about 1.6% – 2.1%, which is mainly due to the better low radiated power of the 600 W plus product. The latest sales data also reflect the growing popularity of 210 mm products. By the third quarter of 2022, nearly 76 GW of 210 mm modules have been delivered worldwide, of which Trina Solar has delivered a total of 40 GW.
The 210+N series contains various products. What are these panels intended for?
Currently, Trina’s main n-type products are the new generation Vertex N 605 W, Vertex N 695 W and Vertex S+ 445 W. The Vertex N 605 W module is suitable for utility power plants and some C&I distributed solar power plants. To the advantages of Vertex family, with high power, high efficiency, high power and high reliability, etc. The maximum power reaches 605W, compared to competitive n-type modules on the market, the power increases up to 30W, and the module efficiency is 22.4%. Based on 210mm rectangular silicon wafer (210R) cell technology, extreme shape design and low voltage advantage, the n-type 605W module makes full use of the 104m tracking mount. Compared to industry common n-type 72 and 78 cell modules, it can tune 6-12 more modules to each string without losing length. It is the “best partner” of the tracking mount. This can help reduce the cost of BOS.
The Vertex N 695 W module is significantly more efficient, 70 W higher than similar generic n-type competitors on the market. The efficiency has also been increased to 22.4 percent and is excellently suited for various utility power plants. Ultra-low attenuation throughout the life of the power generation escort, optimized bifacial performance improves bifacial input, ultra-low operating temperature coefficient makes power generation safer, combined with innovative low-voltage, high-power design to achieve higher power string power, lowers the cost of electricity to a new lower level.
Vertex S+ is intended for rooftops and some C&I scenarios, specifically designed for European and Asian households based on EU and Asian regulations. This 1.6mm + 1.6mm dual glass module is less than 1.8 meters in size and weighs less than 22 kg, making it within the reach of individuals.
Does Trina Solar have an efficiency plan for the 210+N series?
Trina Solar started n-type solar cell research since 2015. We built a 500 MW pilot line in 2018 by promoting the PV Top-Runner program. In 2022, the mass production efficiency of our entire 8 GW n-type capacity will be around 25%, hopefully the efficiency will rise to 25.5% in 2023 and 26% in 2024 with an average annual growth of 0.4-0.5%.
Will Trina Solar build capacity for this module line?
In the second half of 2022, Trina Solar started mass production of the new generation of 210+N module products, and by the first quarter of 2023, Trina Solar has a total of more than 10 GW of n-type module capacity, which is expected to increase to 30 GW. by the end of 2023.
Trina Solar has established a new 210+N production facility in the Integration PV Industrial Park located in Xining, Qinghai Province. The new production base is expected to have an annual capacity of 300,000 tons of silicon metal, 150,000 tons of ultrapure polysilicon, 35 GW of ingots, 10 GW of wafers, 10 GW of solar cells, 10 GW of PV modules and 15 GW of support module auxiliary materials. We planned to finish all construction and put all capacities into operation by the end of 2025. The company is also investing in the construction of 15 GW of solar cells and 15 GW of solar modules per year in Huai’an, Jiangsu Province. We provide a full guarantee for the supply of n-type production capacity and optimize the overall layout of the upstream and downstream of the n-type industrial chain.
I believe that the production capacity will increase rapidly with the rapid acceptance of the 210+N in the market. In addition, vertical integration eliminates p-type unexpected bottleneck era defects.
How does Trina Solar’s transition to n-Type technology affect the industry and the market?
The concept of 600 W+ has become a global consensus. By the end of 2022, a total of 90 GW of module capacity had been achieved for 210 mm products, and penetration increased to 10 percent and is now on its way to a 30 percent market share. We believe that 210 and 600 W+ form a new ecosystem of the industry’s value chain.
The concept 210+N is somehow a 600W+ extension that will become a trend in the entire solar industry. As you know, not only TOPCon, but also HJT and IBC can be based on the 210mm product technology platform.
What do you think about future technological developments? Does TOPCo compete with heterocross?
I think 210+X is the direction. There are more cell technologies than about 210+N solves the ecological problems we faced before, including glass, junction box, frame, bracket, etc., and greatly reduces the overlapping investment in the field.
Those that align with the four highs and one low (higher power, higher efficiency, higher power output, higher reliability, and lower LCOE) will become mainstream.
