The solar industry is always evolving with new technologies. One of the latest advancements is TOPCon cell technology, which stands for Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact. This technology has transformed solar panels by significantly improving their efficiency and performance.
In this article, we’ll explore what TOPCon technology is, how it has advanced from previous technologies like PERC, and its benefits.
Evolution of TOPCon cell technology
TOPCon refers to Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact Technology, known for higher efficiency and better performance. To understand this technology in detail, first, it is important to learn about its predecessor, PERC technology. PERC refers to passive emitter rear contact cells that have been in the solar industry for a very long time now. This technology was a solution to increase the efficiency of the solar panels. However, with time, the need for more efficiency highlighted the limitation of PERC cells.
Basically, in solar panels, there was a lot of efficiency loss because of light refraction and many other reasons. However, PERC technology introduced a passivated layer on the rear side of the cell to reduce electron recombination, which improved the efficiency of solar cells.
Now, enter TOPCon technology, which has a back-passivated layer and an additional tunnel layer for enhanced electron flow. This difference allows TOPCon technology to offer higher efficiency as it minimizes electron recombination at the surface and maximizes light absorption.
How Do TOPCon Solar Cells Work?
To understand how TOPCon solar cells work, it’s important to understand the key features of their structure. TOPCon solar cells have a light-receiving side, which is the front side with a phosphorus-diffused emitter. The purpose of this emitter is to absorb sunlight and generate electric current. These cells also have a Tunnel Oxide Layer, which is a thin layer made of silicon dioxide over the emitter. The purpose of this layer is to transport electrons efficiently.
Source: MediumThen there is TCO or transparent conductive oxide; this layer conducts and transports the generated electrons and allows sunlight to pass through it. The back side of these cells is passivated to reflect any unabsorbed sunlight onto the front side, which reduces the electrical losses. In the end, there is a high-doped back surface field that is applied below the rear passivation layer. It forms the negative polarity and drives electron flow in one direction.
Benefits of TOPCon Solar Cells
Now that you have an idea of what TOPCon solar cells are and how they came to light, let’s dive into the benefits of TOPCon solar cells.
- Efficiency Improvements
TOPCon solar cells are known for their high efficiency. Because of their structure, which includes tunnel oxide passivated contacts, these cells minimize the recombination losses. It results in higher absorption of sunlight, which ultimately increases the efficiency of the whole solar panel. Moreover, these solar cells are also known to produce more power in a limited space.
- Immune to LID Effect
Solar panels go through light-induced degradation (LID) over time. But with TOPCon technology, your solar panels become immune to the LID effect because of n-type cells. These solar cells have a minimum quantity of boron dopant and n-type silicon, which is less susceptible to LID compared to p-type silicon used in many PERC cells; therefore, there are fewer chances of forming boron-oxygen complexes. Hence, solar panels with TOPCon technology last longer.
- Better performance in low-light conditions
Another major benefit of TOPCon technology is that the enhanced electron transport of the cells enables them to perform better under low-light conditions. It allows people living in areas where sunlight is limited or there are frequent cloud covers to enjoy a constant supply of solar energy.
- Better Bifacial Gain
TOPCon solar cell design is perfect for bifacial solar panels. By capturing sunlight from both the front and back sides, these panels boost the energy yield by absorbing maximum sunlight and increasing the conversion rate. If we talk about power gain, TOPCon technology offers 2% more power gain than PERC technology.
- Adaptable manufacturing
Another major benefit of TOPCon solar cells is that their manufacturing process is adaptable, as it only requires simple modifications to existing PERC cell production lines. This technology can easily be integrated into existing manufacturing facilities, which means low cost and an easy production process.
Get the best solar panels with TOPCon technology!
If you also want to take advantage of all these benefits of innovative TOPCon solar technology, you can get Doart Solar Panels. The Doart 580W panel comes with TOPCon technology offering 22.7% efficiency and a 30-year performance warranty. You will get solar panels that will provide the best performance and also last longer. You can also check the real performance of these panels here.
Bottom Line
TOPCon cell technology is a big step forward for solar panels. It makes them much more efficient by using a special design that captures more sunlight and reduces energy loss. Compared to older technologies like PERC, TOPCon panels work better in low light and last longer. Overall, TOPCon is helping solar panels perform better and be more reliable, which is great news for anyone using solar power.