Panasonic announced that it has achieved the world’s leading output temperature coefficient for mass-produced silicon photovoltaic modules, at -0.258 percent/°C.
This innovation sets a new standard for the solar industry, improving on the previous temperature coefficient by 0.032 points at the mass production level, highlighting the positive temperature characteristics of heterojunction solar cells and further improving Panasonic’s unique heterojunction technology, Panasonic said.
Output temperature coefficient is a vital metric in evaluating solar modules as a measurement of how quickly their conversion efficiency degrades as the temperature rises, thereby reducing the output. The standard silicon solar cell’s output temperature coefficient is -0.50 percent, which denotes a decline of 0.50 percent in the conversion efficiency as the module temperature rises by 1°C. For instance, at the module temperature anticipated in the summer months (75°C), the conversion efficiency will decrease by 25 percent in comparison to the environment at 25°C. Panasonic HIT® modules, which boast an improved output temperature coefficient, will nearly halve the decline in the conversion efficiency, significantly increasing performance in high temperature settings.
“This latest innovation, combined with our efforts in conversion efficiency, are living examples of Panasonic’s relentless drive to provide customers with the very best in residential solar technology,” said Mukesh Sethi, group manager, Solar Division, Panasonic Eco-Solutions North America. “The Panasonic HIT is proven to offer the very best value to consumers in the residential solar market, and this latest development will be a massive help in locations where extreme heat is a factor for consumers.”
According to research by Panasonic as of May 18, 2017, for non-concentrating silicon photovoltaic modules
Mean value obtained by a third-party measurement institution based on measured values (in compliance with IEC 61853-1)
Technology for junction formation required for solar cells that covers the crystalline silicon base surface with an amorphous silicon layer. This technology has the key feature of superior passivation to compensate for the many flaws around the silicon base surface area.
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