First Solar announced the limited production run for the world’s first bifacial solar panel, which incorporates an advanced thin film semiconductor.
This groundbreaking innovation will be showcased at the Intersolar Europe event in Munich, Germany from June 14 to 17, 2023, through a fully functional pre-commercial Series 6 Plus Bifacial photovoltaic (PV) module.
The module, currently undergoing field and laboratory testing, builds upon the success of First Solar’s Series 6 monofacial module platform. It introduces an innovative transparent back contact, developed by First Solar’s research and development (R&D) teams.
This unique feature not only enables bifacial energy gain but also allows infrared wavelengths of light to pass through rather than being absorbed as heat. As a result, the bifacial module’s operational temperature is expected to decrease, leading to a higher specific energy yield.
“Series 6 Plus Bifacial will offer an alternative to crystalline silicon-based bifacial technology, combining bifaciality with the industry’s best warranted degradation rate, CdTe thin film’s ability to deliver more energy per nameplate watt, best-in-class reliability and durability, and innovative module design,” Pat Buehler, Chief Product Officer at First Solar, said.
The Series 6 Plus monofacial module boasts several notable features, including an industry-leading 0.3 percent warranted degradation rate, superior temperature coefficient, spectral response, and shading behavior.
The Series 6 Plus monofacial module is equipped with an anti-reflective coating that enhances energy production. Unlike crystalline silicon (c-Si) panels, First Solar’s Series 6 Plus module does not suffer losses from Light Induced Degradation (LID) and Light and elevated Temperature Induced Degradation (LeTID).
Moreover, the module is manufactured under a single roof, ensuring 100 percent traceable quality assurance and surpassing International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for high temperature, high humidity, and extreme desert and coastal applications.
In October 2022, First Solar announced plans to construct an R&D innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio, with an investment of around $370 million. Its completion in 2024 will accelerate the development and production of advanced thin film PV.
Located near First Solar’s existing Perrysburg manufacturing facility, the R&D center will cover an area of approximately 1.3 million square feet and feature a high-tech pilot manufacturing line for producing full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules.