Aiko presents ABC solar module with world record efficiency of 25.2% at Intersolar

At Intersolar Munich 2024, Chinese solar cell and module maker Aiko Solar showed its Generation 3 Comet series of solar panels featuring a world record power conversion efficiency of 25.2%.

“The new products rely on our proprietary all-back-contact (ABC) solar cell technology,” Claudio Godinho, Europe Service Director at Aiko Solar, told pv magazine at the company’s booth in Munich. “The Comet Generation 3 solar module will be available in the fourth quarter of 2024. The module will be manufactured at their 10 GW and 14 GW facilities.”

Godinho noted that the modules use only copper in their backside located solar cell connections. The company said they can use copper, which tends to require thicker busbars, partially because they’ve moved those connections to the backside of the module.

Five versions of the new module series will be made available, with power output ranging from 625 W to 650 W and efficiency spanning from 24.2% to 25.2%. The open-circuit voltage is between 54.49 V and 54.99 V and the short-circuit current is between 14.60 A and 15.00 A. It has a size of 2,278 mm x 1,134 mm x 30 mm and a weight of 27 kg.

All products are built with 3.2 mm tempered anti-reflective glass and aluminum frames. They also feature an IP68 enclosure and a maximum system voltage is 1,500 V. The panels have a temperature coefficient of -0.26%/C and an operational temperature ranging from -40 C to 85 C (-40 F to 185 F).

Aiko Solar provides a 30-year performance warranty, with a purported 1% degradation in the first year and a guaranteed end power output of no less than 88.85% of the nominal power after 30 years.

The module features solar cells that overlap by about 0.3 mm. This reportedly generates more electricity within the same area – adding approximately 0.5% more sun-facing silicon. Moving all of the string connectors – the ABC technology – to the backside of the module increases the light absorption area by 1.1%, according to the manufacturer.

Aiko says approximately 93.5% of the solar module’s surface area is solar cells. Moving the solar cell interconnections to the backside of the solar panel does lower the bifaciality of the product to 70%. The backside contacts also give the module advantages in partial shade situations.