There is no end to PV technological innovation.

It was learned by www.hxny.com that a few days ago, the PV leader Tongwei Co., Ltd. once again refreshed the efficiency and power records of two mainstream modules of TOPCon.

The front side power of TNC-G12R module reaches 682.8W, which is about 60W higher than the mainstream mass production power of the same version in the market, with a conversion efficiency of 25.28%. The power of TNC-G12 module reaches 778.5W, which is about 60W higher than the mainstream mass production power of the same version in the market, with a conversion efficiency of 25.06%.

Tongwei's TNC modules once again break records in power and efficiency

It's worth noting that Tongwei just broke these two records three months ago. On December 25 last year, the PV Technology Center of Tongwei Co., Ltd. announced that under the standard size of 2384*1303mm, the front side power of Tongwei's TNC-G12 66 module reached 763.4W, with the conversion efficiency up to 24.58%; and under the standard size of 2382*1134mm, the front side power of Tongwei's TNC-G12R 66 module reached 663.5W, with the conversion efficiency up to 24.56%, setting a new record for the power and efficiency of TOPCon's two mainstream versions.

Tongwei showed a strong technical innovation ability to surprise the industry by upgrading the module power and efficiency to another level within a short period, which set a benchmark for PV enterprises to get out of the "quagmire" featuring homogenization involution.

The PV industry has been in a recession for nearly two years, and enterprises in the sector are waiting for spring in agony. At the same time, technological innovation has entered an uncharted territory. It is difficult to make a "disruptive" breakthrough in silicon materials and wafer technology. The next step for cell technology after the entry into the N-type era is also unclear, and we do not know when the era of laminated cells will come.

Facing the predicament of the sector, Tongwei has returned to its roots and worked hard and provided the solution to the problem with its world-record-setting TNC products: upgrading from price competition at low latitude to value creation at high latitude, embarking on the road to high-quality development of the PV sector.

1

Tongwei standing in the center and TOPCon 2.0 strengthening its dominant position

Tongwei's record-breaking performance epitomizes the rapid development of TOPCon technology over the past several years. In this mainstream technology route, Tongwei caught up from behind and stood firmly in the center.

In the process of iterating from PV P-type technology to N-type technology, three technology routes namely, TOPCon, BC and HJT, emerged. Each route has its own strengths, and there has been a constant debate in the sector about which one would become the mainstream.

But as it turned out, TOPCon was the first to rise abruptly. From 2023, TOPCon's capacity and market share have risen sharply. Tongwei Co., Ltd., Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd., Trina Solar Co., Ltd. and other PV leaders have been actively expanding TOPCon. Even LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., which claimed to be betting on BC, also retained 35GW of TOPCon capacity. According to the industry statistics, TOPCon capacity has exceeded 900GW by the end of 2024.

According to the data published by infolink, among the TOP5 cell shipments in 2024, the cumulative shipments of TOPCon cells amounted to 109.3 GW, accounting for 67% of the total shipments.

According to the latest statistics from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), the market share of N-type TOPCon cells has jumped to 71.1% in 2024, surpassing the traditional P-type technology for the first time.

Undoubtedly, TOPCon technology route has become the absolute mainstream in the market.

However, TOPCon leaders never slowed down and still moved ahead at full speed for technological innovation. Starting from the end of 2024, each TOPCon leader has upgraded their TOPCon technology from 1.0 to 2.0 one after another, further strengthening TOPCon's dominant position.

In October 2024, Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. launched its new generation TOPCon Tiger Neo 3.0 PV module with the power of 670W and the conversion efficiency of 24.8%. In December, Trina Solar Co., Ltd. launched the full-scene N-type large, medium and small module products based on the new generation of i-TOPCon Ultra technology, with the medium product seeing its power upgrading to 670W and its efficiency up to 24.8%. In January of this year, JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd. released its DeepBlue 5.0 module, with the power of 670W and the conversion efficiency of 24.8%.

These three TOPCon module leaders have all upgraded their product power and efficiency by a notch, and Tongwei, which is strong in the module segment, is not far behind. Earlier this year, Tongwei announced the launch of TNC 2.0 technology, marking a comprehensive upgrade based on TNC 1.0. Tongwei TNC 2.0 achieves performance breakthroughs with four upgraded technologies, i.e., 908 technology (Tongwei's self-developed 0BB technology), TPE edge passivation technology, screen printing technology, and Poly Tech, significantly improving the module power and conversion efficiency. With continuous efforts to make breakthroughs in improving the bifaciality, optimizing temperature coefficient, and enhancing power competitiveness, Tongwei has further enhanced the full lifecycle power generation efficiency and return on investment of module, providing higher value PV solutions to the global market.

On March 20, the front side power of TNC-G12R module reached 682.8W, with the conversion efficiency of 25.28%, which fully deserved the front-runner position in the sector, bringing TOPCon's technological upgrading to a new height once again. It is generally believed in the sector that with Tongwei completing the upgrade of TOPCon2.0, PV technology competition has entered a new stage. In 2024, the BC technology route, which has been the first to be upgraded to version 2.0, formed a strong offensive against TOPCon. Now, TOPCon has also been upgraded to version 2.0, and there is no possibility for BC, HJT and other technologies to challenge the dominant position of TOPCon in the short term.

2

Returning to the essence of technology and reconstructing user value with innovation

TOPCon has dominated the market and has the ability to consolidate its dominant position, for which the deep-seated reason is that Tongwei and other TOPCon leaders are not trapped in the "cage" of price competition. On the contrary, they follow the "first principle" and continue to create higher value for customers through technological innovation.

Previously, there has been a debate in the PV sector about the advantages and disadvantages of technology routes with a variety of empirical data. Xing Guoqiang, the Chief Technology Officer for the PV Business of Tongwei Co., Ltd., put forward a viewpoint that is quite fair. He believes that when evaluating the value of a module, it must be combined with the actual power generation of the module, and the focus of the sector should switch to the track of "full-lifecycle value".

That is to say, whether a technology route and a module can have a foothold in the market, a variety of fancy data and indicators are useless, the key is to see how much value its full lifecycle power generation can bring to users. The greater the value is, the stronger the willingness of users to pay for it.

The innovation of Tongwei TNC is a successful case in this direction.

As early as 2020, Tongwei began to lay out TOPCon technology, but it did not make a big fuss about public opinion, nor blindly follow the selection of technology routes, or simply copy others' technology and products. Instead, it adhered to independent innovation by investing a large amount of funds, labor and time costs and developing cell technologies that can create more values.

In 2021, Tongwei built the sector's first 210 PECVD Poly cell pilot line and took the lead in implementing large-size PECVD technology in the sector, filling a gap in the sector. With higher bifaciality, better low-light response and mature industry chain support, this technology has quickly stood out in the sector as a better solution that integrates customer value, product value and mass production possibilities.

Tongwei's TNC technology has also been successfully selected by the CPIA as the only TOPCon cell technology in the sector in the 2023 Catalogue of PV Industry Innovations Recommended.

In addition, Tongwei has successfully pushed PECVD in the TOPCon technology routes to industrialization with TNC technology, making important contributions to the development of the sector. According to InfoLink's latest statistics, PECVD solutions account for 56% of the market share in TOPCon solar cell production capacity.

After the success of TNC version 1.0, Tongwei has not stopped its pace of technological innovation and continues to innovate and upgrade the TNC technology. In early 2025, Tongwei developed the TNC 2.0 product.

3

Walking the path of technological innovation in the spirit of long-termism

It is worth noting that TOPCon 2.0 is now very popular in the market. TNC 2.0, for example, was launched recently, but multiple orders have been received.

On March 26, during BE POSITIVE in Lyon, France, Tongwei and BayWa r.e. Solar Systems SAS entered into a strategic cooperation framework agreement. Subsequent collaboration would be centered on the TNC 2.0 module, further promoting cooperation between the two parties in the French distribution market.

On April 14, Tongwei and PVO International BV officially signed a 130MW high-efficiency PV module supply agreement, deepening the strategic layout of TNC 2.0 series modules in the Northwest European market.

With the increasing demand for high-quality PV products in the market, it is expected that there will be a steady stream of orders for TNC 2.0 by 2025. Among many similar products, TNC 2.0 opens up a new space for quality and efficiency improvement and strengthens the solid foundation for TOPCon's dominant position in the next 3-5 years.

It is understood that at present, leading companies such as Tongwei is still accelerating the TOPCon technology upgrade. After TOPCon 2.0, TOPCon 3.0, 4.0, etc. will follow. With reference to the pace of technological innovation of Tongwei and other TOPCon leaders, the advent of the 3.0 era will not be too far away.

Technological innovations and upgrades directly lead to further increases in power and customer value. With the same module size, the power of TNC 2.0 can be increased by over 20W, transportation costs can be reduced by about 3.2%, bracket costs can be reduced by 0.4-1.1 cents/W, and the total system cost can be reduced by 1.0-2.9 cents/W.

Every cent of cost reduction means lower investment and higher return for the customer. Tongwei firmly believes that the sector will be good only if the customers are good, and Tongwei will be good only if the sector is good. In the cold winter of the sector, only those enterprises that truly add value and empower their customers with high value will be widely recognized and stand firm.

Module R&D Workshop of Tongwei Global Innovation R&D Center

With the changes in power market policy, new energy power is also about to participate in market-oriented trading from June 1 this year, and power plant investors prefer "low investment, high return" products. In the new situation, the new generation TOPCon modules represented by Tongwei's TNC products will have more advantages, while those modules with severe homogenization and low-price competition will gradually be eliminated by the market.

"The current sector cycle is driven by technological upgrading, when PV enterprises are subject to "internal injuries" in involution, the value of technological innovation becomes even more important. We are well aware that the road to innovation never ends, and those which can overcome cycles and usher in a bright spring must also be enterprises with technological innovation as their core competitiveness." Xing said.

In the dual changes of energy revolution and technological revolution, Tongwei has always adhered to innovation with the spirit of "long-termism", by increasing R&D investment year by year, overcoming the technical barriers of high-purity crystalline silicon purification with super determination and perseverance, and breaking the world records of high-efficiency cell and module dozens of times.

At present, Tongwei has set up a sector-leading and complete scientific research platform, standing at the forefront and continuously improving itself, playing a key role as a leader in the PV technology. As of March 31, 2025, Tongwei has had 2,761 authorized patents in the PV segment in total, ranking among the top in the sector.