When we established the Silicon Module Super League (SMSL) a few years ago, it was prompted by the realisation that a select group of solar PV module suppliers were moving away from the 100+ chasing pack, and firmly establishing themselves as the companies that would be the dominant players as the industry moved towards and above annual shipment levels of 100GW.
Specialist semiconductor and PV equipment supplier Intevac has said that it finally recognised into revenue on three of four ‘ENERGi’ solar ion implant tools, which had already been shipped to a PV manufacturing customer in China in the third quarter of 2017.
Leading ‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JinkoSolar has highlighted success using new LeTID (Light elevated Temperature Induced Degradation) testing standards in minimising performance losses in its P-type mono-PERC and N-type monocrystalline solar cells.
‘Silicon Module Super League (SMSL) leader JinkoSolar has achieved a record conversion efficiency of 24.2% for a large-area N-type TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) solar cell, verified by the Photovoltaic and Wind Power Systems Quality Test Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
This article reveals the top 10 module suppliers of 2018, based purely on own-brand shipped module MWp-dc volumes. This ranking complements our recently published top 10 cell producers feature.
PV CellTech 2019 takes place in Penang, Malaysia on 12-13 March 2019, and once again will feature keynote presentations from CTOs and heads-of-R&D from the leading multi-GW cell producers of the industry in 2019.
Back in 2014, p-type mono PERC cell production was less than 1GW. During 2019, production is forecast to exceed 60GW as the dominant technology type deployed by the solar industry for module assembly.
Solar cell production in 2018 represented change on many fronts, but may be remembered as a year during which Chinese-owned companies made further strategic moves as part of the current Beijing mandate to position the country as a high-tech manufacturing global powerhouse.
Technology investments into advanced PV cell manufacturing have been at record levels in the past few years, with high-efficiency concepts seeing investment levels not seen since the days of turn-key thin-film lines a decade ago.
